


We Are Not Alone

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Category: The New Mutants (2020), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: As in slow burn levels of eventual, Dani and Rahne are the most adorable, Eventual Illyana/Roberto, F/F, Family Bonding, Fluff, Found Family, On the Run, Post-Canon, Post-Movie, Protect these idiots at all cost, Road Trips, Spoilers, Team as Family, dumb teens doing dumb things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 48,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26137228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: After escaping their cage, the group struggles to find their place in the world, all the while being pursued by the Essex Corporations who does not like to lose assets, even if those assets are a couple of rebellious teenagers.
Relationships: Danielle Moonstar/Rahne Sinclair, Roberto da Costa/Illyana Rasputin
Comments: 275
Kudos: 338





	1. Couch Potato

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I just saw New Mutants yesterday and I knew I just had to write what would happen next. I don't usually do this, post stories that I haven't finished writing first, but I know that I'm probably not the only one who wants to know what happens next, so this is as much for me as it is for all of you guys!  
> Truthfully I don't know exactly where I'm going with this story, I'm not that well versed in the X-men comics as I could be, and using the film's continuity is... I mean it's a mess, you guys, you need a Ph. D to make sense of it! So I'll try my best to make something coherent and entertaining. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.  
> I'll try posting a chapter every day if I can. These will be pretty short chapters, so I can make more of them and get a head start on the story.  
> Other than that, you can leave comments and kudos to motivate me to write more, and I hope you enjoy!

The next town over really is eighteen miles away. At least Reyes didn't lie about that. It took them most of the day to get there, mostly because they had to take regular breaks whenever Roberto complained about his sore feet. The sun has already disappeared, replaced by a dark, dome-less sky when they find the sign at the entrance of town. Hamsburg, Virginia. Dani lets out a hum at the sign. So that's where they were.

  
The town is quiet. The moon is high above it, observing its every street. Few cars pass through, though many can be heard in the distance, prompting Dani to believe that a highway or interstate might just be nearby. The air is cool, but not enough to make her shiver. Rahne's hand is still in hers, and her warm palm against hers makes her smile.

  
A sign near the entrance of town indicates a motel. When they finally reach it, there's a collective sigh of relief, as the vacancy sign flickers in and out, so close to dying yet holding on, somehow.

  
"I think we could all use some sleep. What do you say, guys?"

  
Dani turns around and very quickly notices Illyana is gone. She frowns, as the others also seem to realize she's left them. A bit further down the street, a bell resounds. They all look as Illyana disappears inside a diner. They rush after her.

  
Much like the rest of the town, the diner is mostly empty. There's a waitress serving coffee to a man at the counter, and a family passing through on their holidays at the back of the diner. The diner itself seems new enough that it must have been renovated recently while keeping the 50s aesthetic that is sure to please tourists. Illyana has already taken a seat in one of the booths. While Sam, Rahne, and Dani linger by the door, Roberto steps inside and stands by Illyana.

  
"Come on, Illy, we're going to sleep in the motel."

  
"I'm hungry," she replies, grabbing a plastic menu and flipping it open in front of her. "I haven't eaten since this morning, and it's not like what you made us was any good anyway."

  
Roberto's face falls slightly, though he tries to play it cool.

  
"How are we even going to pay?"

  
Illyana wiggles in her seat until she can pull a credit card from her back pocket.

  
"Stole it from Reyes' wallet before we left. Now come on, I'm sure they have cheeseburgers who actually taste like cheese," she said, looking at the rest of the group.

  
Tentatively, the others settle in the booth with her, the boys on either side of the girls, with Dani in the middle. They pass menus around, though they remain silent for the most part. When the waitress finally arrives, a woman just a few years older than them, Roberto puts on his most seductive smile, making the girls roll their eyes at him.

  
"Good evening, gorgeous," he says with a wink.

  
The waitress tries to hide her discomfort and annoyance at the young man, flipping through her notepad to find a blank page.

  
"Good evening. What can I get y'all?"

  
"I'll have the Caesar salad and a side of fries, thanks," Roberto says with a wink.

  
The waitress writes his order down, completely unaffected by Roberto.

  
"You have nothing to fear from him," Illyana finally says. "He's like a wet firecracker, all sparks but he dies quickly."

  
Sam, Dani and Rahne snicker, while the waitress tries not to smile. Roberto glares at Illyana, who ignores him completely. They all proceed to order, then the waitress leaves. Once again, they're all so tired that no conversation comes to them. They all realize there are quite a few things that they should be talking about, but none of them can find the strength to do so. Rahne's head dips with fatigue, coming to rest on Dani's shoulder. Sam has been rubbing his eyes with his uninjured hand every few minutes. Today has been a long day. They fought an army of smiling monsters and a demon bear, escaped their cage, and walked for eighteen miles. Today was an important day. None of them really know what day it is.

  
The waitress returns with their orders and they eat ravenously. After a single large bite of her cheeseburger, Illyana says:

  
"It's better than yours."

  
Roberto scowls and tries to ignore her taunt as he grumbles:

  
"Try making something good with the terrible canned food they gave us. Of course, it sucked."

  
For the most part, dinner is silent. There are some hums and moans, a few laughter when Dani dares to steal a fry from Rahne's plate, some complain when Illyana indiscriminately steals fries from everyone's plate. Sam slurps loudly on his milkshake when the waitress winks at him from behind the counter, and he almost strangles himself but passes it off as him stupidly swallowing while trying to breathe. When dinner's over, they pay with Reyes' card and leave a large tip behind. Then, they cross the street to the motel.

* * *

The five of them enter the small reception at the foot of the motel. It's your standard, L-shaped, two stories building, with a staircase on one side, coiling like a snake around a branch. A few cars are parked in front of certain doors. The reception itself feels like a small glass box, with an old, coffee-stained desk separating them from a man, leaned back in his chair, and reading _A Room with a View_.

  
"Can I help you?" he says tiredly, bringing his book down on the desk to mark the page, breaking the spine irreparably.

  
"A room for five?" Sam asks shyly.

  
The man stares at them longly. Maybe they look like a group of teenagers doing a road-trip before school starts again.

  
"I don't have any of those left," The man replies, pulling a heavy ledger closer to him. "I got a room for four people with a couch."

  
"We'll take it," Sam says because they're all on the verge of falling asleep on the reception's desk.

  
After giving Reyes' card number to pay, the man gives them the key to room 32. They find room 32 on the first floor, at the complete opposite of the reception. Sam struggles with the key for a moment, first using his good hand, then his bad, until Illyana pushes him out of the way and unlocks the door for them.

  
The room is old and musty. The window across the room is closed off by a thick curtain, hiding any light from outside. There are two double beds on the right and a small, dirty-looking couch against the left wall. A tiny bathroom manages to squeeze a shower, toilet, and sink in a space smaller than the solitary cells back at the center.

  
Illyana strides in and crashes on the bed by the window, falling with her arms wide open like she's ready to make a snow angel.

  
"Good night," she says as she curls in the middle of the bed, Lockheed cradled under her chin.

  
"Maybe we should discuss who sleeps where first?" Roberto points out.

  
"Fine," Illyana sighs, uncurling just to undo her boots and throw them across the room. She points to Dani and Rahne, who've been glued to one another all afternoon. "These two will take the other bed. I'm taking this one. You two can huddle on the couch."

  
"It's alright," Rahne says, "I can take the couch."

  
"Yeah, we'll take the couch," Dani assures.

  
"No, you two take the bed," Sam replies. "Illy, if you want to sleep alone, just take the couch."

  
"I'm not taking the couch."

  
She stares at the two young men.

  
"Sam, you can take the left side, but if you touch me in any way I will kill you."

  
"And if my heel accidentally touches your foot or something?"

  
"Well in that case I'll only cut off your leg."

  
Sam seems uncertain about the sleeping arrangement. Roberto sighs.

  
"I'll sleep on the bed."

  
"No you won't," Illyana replies. "You'll steal all the blankets."

  
"I won't."

  
"I'm sure you will."

  
"Guys," Dani says loudly after taking off her shoes. "Can we just go to sleep right now? We're all tired."

  
Rahne is already curled on her side, waiting for Dani to join her. Sam and Roberto exchange another look. Finally, Sam pulls off his shoes and lays as straight as he can on his side of the bed, while Illyana curls on the rest of the bed. With one last sigh, Roberto takes off his shoes and grimaces as he lays down on the couch.


	2. Turning and Tossing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group enjoys a nice rest at a motel, but with the morning comes more problems.

Sleep evades them until they fall from exhaustion when their minds tire of reeling with the day's events. Roberto snores lightly on the couch. His foot has fallen off from a lack of space. Sam has fallen asleep before Illyana. When he rolls to lay on his back, and his cast accidentally scrapes against her arm, she jumps awake. Her glare disappears when she sees it's only Sam. She curls to face him, Lockheed under her chin, and once her heart has slowed, she falls asleep too.

  
Rahne falls asleep quickly, curled against Dani, her head against her collarbone. Dani struggles with sleep for a moment, still in disbelief. She tries not to be afraid, tries not to think of what could come if she has another nightmare. They're all so close. She could harm them so easily. Eventually, however, exhaustion seeps into her body too. She falls to a dreamless sleep.

  
Dani wakes up a few hours later. There's whimpering in her ears. At first, she thinks it's her, she's having a nightmare again. But when she opens her eyes with ease, she realizes it's not the case. She's not stuck in a nightmare, Rahne is. The girl in her arms is whimpering like a wounded puppy, and the sound tears a rift in Dani's soul. Lightly, she tries to shake Rahne, to pull her out of her nightmare.

  
"Rahne? It's me, wake up."

  
Rahne wakes up suddenly, and shifts so quickly Dani doesn't realize at first. One second Rahne is in her arms, and the next she's standing over her, her sharp claws coming to stop an inch from her face. Dani holds her breath, staring into Rahne's citrine eyes. Her dark pupils fill with recollection, and Rahne pulls away swiftly. She curls away from Dani, at the edge of the bed. Barely any light filters through the curtains, and it takes a moment for Dani to notice the hair on Rahne's neck receding, and her ears becoming once again round.

  
"Are you alright?" Dani whispers.

  
Rahne seems hesitant to speak, and she refuses to look at Dani. Dani places her hand on Rahne's arm delicately.

  
"It's okay, you didn't hurt me," Dani promises.

  
Rahne slowly rolls until she is on her back, looking up at Dani. The last time they were in this position, they'd shared their first kiss. The memory makes Rahne's cheeks grow pinker, and she's glad that Dani doesn't have night vision too.

  
"I'm sorry."

  
Dani shakes her head.

  
"Don't be. I know you didn't mean to."

  
Slowly, Rahne shifts closer. She takes her hand in hers, passing her now claw-free hands on the back of Dani's hand.

  
"Was it the priest again?" Dani asks softly.

  
Rahne shakes her head.

  
"Do you want to talk about it?"

  
"Not really. There's not much to say."

  
Dani smiles, and even though she can barely see Rahne, she knows she can see her.

  
"I'm always here if you want to talk about it, okay? Or anything else."

  
Rahne doesn't thank her, but she kisses her instead, softly, and hopes Dani understands what she means. Dani's free hand finds her neck, the side without a mark, the soft side. Her fingers play with a few short red locks of hair. They kiss again, until a pillow lands on the back of Dani's head. Dani turns around, and Rahne looks above her shoulder.

Illyana leans over to their bed to take her pillow back.

  
"If I hear your disgusting kissing sound one more time, I'm sewing your mouths together," she promises, before curling back to bed.

  
The two other girls put their heads back on their pillows, and Dani whispers:

  
"Do you think she's serious?"

  
"I am," they hear behind from behind her.

  
Still, Rahne dares a small kiss on Dani's cheek before she curls against her once again.

* * *

They don't wake up until morning, when the sun is so powerful it manages to pass through the curtain. Roberto wakes up with a bang, finally falling off the couch. The thump of his fall wakes both Rahne and Sam. Dani takes a moment to sigh and groan and stretch before she, too, opens her eyes. Roberto pushes himself off the dirty carpeted floor with a groan.

  
"Merda! I'm not sleeping on the couch ever again," Roberto warns as he stands up and tries to alleviate the pain in his neck and shoulders.

  
As they pull out of bed, the group is quick to realize that Illyana is gone. While Sam looks in the bathroom – it doesn't take long, and she's obviously not there – Dani looks outside of the motel. Rahne is putting on her shoes as she says:

  
"She's not far. She didn't leave that long ago."

  
"Maybe she just went to get some food or something," Roberto suggests as he ties his shoelace.

  
He's almost done with one shoe when an explosion echoes down the street, so strong it shakes the entire motel. The four teenagers still completely, looking at each other. As they rush out of the room, they all pray that this was an unrelated explosion, which had nothing to do with Illyana, and that she is somewhere safe and calm, tagging a bench or something.

  
The commotion has attracted the attention to the other patrons of the motel, as many of them peak their heads out of their rooms. Some are still in pajamas, others were in the process of getting changed. A man is in his towel, soap running down his neck. The teenagers rush past the busybodies, and down the staircase. Two police cars are rushing past the motel toward the end of the street, and a few people are running in the opposite direction.

  
The group makes their way down the street as quickly as they can. From afar, they can see the smoke from the explosion, black billows turning the morning sky into a grieving sky. Then, the fire, rising out of the wreck of a black SUV, a big vehicle which seems to burn as well as a tree. There are three other black vehicles at the end of the street, parked to make a half-circle around the entrance of a convenient store. The two police cars have been stopped farther away, keeping quite a distance from the commotion. The windows of the convenient store have been shattered by the explosion, spreading glass all over the street.

  
As the teenagers reach the police cars, and a police officer tries to stop them from going any closer, the flames on the vehicle die down. Despite the air being distorted by the heat, they can clearly see Illyana, standing over the remains of the convenient store window, facing the vehicles, her sword in hand and her eyes glowing an ethereal blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Yesterday I did a lot of thinking, a bit of planning, and I finally know what I'm gonna do with this story. So as you may have noticed the story now has 27 chapters; It's still an approximation for now. Could be a bit more, probably won't be a bit less but who knows? I added a few more tags, I also added the story to the X-men fandom. There is no New Mutants fandom, the one I created for this story is in the uncategorized fandom, not the movie category. I don't know if they'll ever create one, I think it would be good because placing it in the X-men movieverse fandom feels a bit confusing and probably will make NM stories hard to search for. If any of you knows how we can have the NM fandom added as a separate entity please let me know.  
> I think that's about all I had to say. I guess I'll see you tomorrow for the next one, then!


	3. An Apple a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Illyana did to get into such trouble, who knows?

When Illyana wakes up, the sky is light blue, the sun chasing the dark night with yellowish white light. The rest of the group is still fast asleep. Roberto seems about to fall off the couch. Sam is still laying on his back, one arm over his belly and his cast resting on the old compressed mattress. Rahne is curled up against Dani's right side in an adorable sort of way, which makes Illyana roll her eyes, as if it would counter the pang of envy in her chest.

She seats up and for a moment, she considers waking them all up. But Lockheed tells her to let them sleep, and she's encline to agree with his act of kindness. It'll give her a bit more time to herself. She puts on her shoes and checks her jacket pocket. Reyes' credit card is still there. Illyana grins. She wonders how much she can buy before the card runs out.

She leaves the room. The air is still fresh with humidity, as the sun heats up the summer dew. A family on the ground floor is already loading their station wagon, ready to leave the town behind. Illyana secures Lockheed in her back pocket and makes her way down the stairs. The diner across the street is still open. Down the street most of the shops are either still closed or slowly opening up. She has half a mind to blow all of the money on clothes, especially clothes for Roberto. If he's going to burn up his clothes every time he uses his powers, he's going to need a bunch of them. Unfortunately she either can't see a clothing store, or it is still closed.

She makes her way down the street, which follows a slope toward the center of town. At the end of the slope, the street stops, cut by a perpendicular street. A convenient store resides where the street could have continued. It is true that Illyana is hungry, and the others are probably going to be as well.

She enters the convenient store. It's just a small shop with half a dozen shelves in the middle, and refrigerators on the walls. A single man mends the cash register, a cup of coffee from the diner in his hand. He barely spares a glance to Illyana as she starts making her way around the shop.

There's mostly junk food here. Bags of chips and boxes of candies, nothing too revitting. Still, she supposes if she's going to spend some money, might as well blow it on something Reyes certainly wouldn't have approved. She randomly picks up a few bags of this and that, candies she's never heard of and cheeseburger-flavored chips, because why not. When she sees a bottle of apple juice in the fridge, the need for a real apple suddenly surfaces. But she can't find any in the shop. All she can find are apple flavored caramels and apple chips which look like someone took an old, dried-up sponge and cut slices out of it.

“Hey!” she shouts, to get the cashier's attention.

“What?” he replies in a tired voice.

“You got really apples here?”

“There,” he says, pointing behind him.

Sure enough, there are a few boxes of fruits and vegetables behind him. Satisfied, Illyana dumps all of her findings on the counter. While the man is scanning every item, she looks at the small sunglasses rack beside her. She flips it, lets it turn for a moment until she finds a pair she likes. Then, she puts it on and looks at herself in the small mirror on the side of the rack. The branches are gold and thin, the lenses dark and slightly rounded. She likes how they look on her, so she adds them to the pile.

“Do you need anything else?” the cashier asks as he places the sunglasses on top of the paper bag he just filled.

“An apple.”

“Just one?”

Illyana doesn't nod, she glares, and it's enough to get the man moving. He places an apple on the counter, rings it and says:

“That'll be $26.42.”

Illyana clicks her tongue. Not expensive enough. Still, she pays and stashes the card back in her jacket pocket. She picks up the sunglasses, tears the label off, and places them over her nose. Then, she picks up the apple in one hand while carrying the grocery back with the other, keeping it close to her chest. She takes a single bite of the apple and realizes how much she's missed fresh fruits. The center only ever served them defrosted fruits which probably came from very far away. This is a real fruit, and she realizes once she's stepped out of the store that she should have bought more.

Before she can decide to go back inside, four black vehicles rush down the street. Instantly Illyana knows something's going to go very wrong. The vehicles stop around her, making a semi-circle at a wide distance from her. When the doors open, men in combat armor come out, rifles in hands, the diamond of the Essex Corporation drawn in white on their chests. All the rifles are aimed her way. Illyana stops walking, takes one last bite out of her apple, then lets it and the grocery back fall to the ground.

In the blink of an eye she's gone. All the mercenaries look nervously around them.

“Where'd she go?” someone asks.

They look behind them, waiting for a flash of light which might indicate her return. Illyana's angry voice echoes around them, and she appears above them, her sword out and ready. The soldiers don't have time to react, as her flaming sword plunges into the hood of the left-most car. The metal bends under her feet as she lands. She jumps back, sword at the ready. The car engine explodes. The vibration shatters the windows behind Illyana, and knocks most of the nearby mercenaries off their feet. She stands her ground. No matter how this fight turns out, one thing is for sure. She's not going back.

* * *

Like a cannonball, Sam lands on the roof of one of the vehicles, impossibly caving it in. His landing is rough and he struggles back on his feet, but before the armed mercenaries can take advantage of his weakened position, Rahne reaches the fray. She takes one good look at the mercenaries helmets and heavy-looking bullet-proof vests, and goes for the legs. One after the other they fall to her claws, as she cuts through tendons and veins. Illyana gets back into the fight as well. She slices through rifles, then arms, then chests. The mercenaries left are quickly coming back to their senses though.

Roberto had made his way over with a light, nervous stroll. He didn't really want to destroy his clothes once again, so he only lets the bright, sun-like energy creep up his arms, to a few inches of his sleeves. He grabs the back bumper of one of the vehicles, intending to throw it on the other. Instead, only the bumper itself is pulled off, and melting in his hands. Reacting swiftly, Roberto uses it to bash the nearby mercenaries, sending them down to the ground. Still, the bumper is turning to plastic goo in his hands. He throws it through the side windshield with all his strength. The bumper lodges itself in the driver's seat.

There's a powerful whistle coming from the right side of the street, and all four mutants look up from the fight, to see Dani motioning for them to follow her. The four of them glance at each other, and don't waste another second, as they rush after their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I have a limited access to Internet this weekend so I hope this uploads properly. I just wanted to thank everyone who's been reading my story. I've seen that New Mutants hasn't been doing to well at the box office which makes me pretty sad, even though it was to be expected. So to see that other people seemed to like it enough to be looking for fan fictions makes me feel better. So thanks everyone! Keep reading, leave me comments if you feel like it to show me that I'm not alone.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you tomorrow for more!


	4. Highway-Crossing Chickens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still pursued by the mercenaries, the group comes up with an insane plan to try to lose them.

Dani leads the others around the street as fast as they can run. Heavy footsteps follow behind them, making such a ruckus it's hard to count how many mercenaries are still standing. They round the corner just as the first shots are fired. The teens jump out of the way and continue running. The shots don't sound like usual gunshots to Rahne, and she looks back. Syringes are stuck into a brick wall.

They reach the town square, where a small park is surrounded by buildings. A single, large tree is growing at the center of it. They rush to get across. The stomping of boots isn't far behind. Before they can make it to the grass, however, Rahne hears the air shift, the very light sound of triggers being pulled and mechanism releasing something.

“Duck!”

The group coward behind the nearest car. All the car windows are shattered by more hypodermic syringes. Some plant themselves in the chassis, others in the wheels, prompting the car to lean to one side.

The teens don't wait for another assault, they run as low to the ground as they can, making their way around the park. More syringes are fired, more cars are damaged by the mercenaries. Sam, very annoyed by the situation, charges up and throws himself against a car. It is thrown in the middle of the street, rolling a few times toward the mercenaries. The armed men step back hurriedly. The sound of smashing glass and compressing metal covers the teens' hurried footsteps, until the car comes to a standstill, and the mercenaries can once again hear them, hurrying down Main Street.

As soon as Rahne hears the mercenaries once again following them, she looks at Dani, fear feeling her dark eyes.

“Which way?” she exhales.

Dani, too tired to speak, indicates a break in the buildings, a small alleyway stuck between two clothing stores. They slip inside, and lean on the walls, giving themselves but a second to breath. Their legs are aching, their hearts are beating in their throats, they can barely breathe, let alone calm themselves.

“Through there, we have to make it to the highway,” Dani says.

“Are you insane?” Roberto tries to shout, but can only whisper.

“Hopefully they won't follow us on the other side, or it'll take a bit of time before they do.”

“This is insane,” Roberto says.

The others keep silent. Finally, as the footsteps grow closer, Illyana pulls out her sword and cuts through the weak wood fence separating the alleyway in half.

“Let's go.”

Despite the pain and the need to breathe, they all obey, and in no time they are once again running.

“Which way to the highway?” Illyana asks.

“Straight ahead,” Dani replies.

The sound of the mercenaries behind them become distant. Their stomping echoes in the streets, and slowly it becomes impossible for everyone but Rahne to tell where they are. Far behind is all they hope for. Dani leads them through the streets. The map she found near the motel has proven true, and upon reaching Adams Street there's only the buzzing of the highway above them, calling for them. They run on the side of a supermarket, to a fence. One after the other, they make their way over. They can no longer tell whether the mercenaries are following them, but their minds are made up. They will be crossing this highway, if it's the last thing they do.

They run through the supermarket's back lot, ignoring employees shouting at them that they shouldn't be here. They make their way over another fence, and disappear into what could have been a forest, up a small slope. At the top of the slope, though, the trees are gone, replaced by cracked concrete, and cars speeding at 90 miles an hour.

Convincing yourself that you're going to cross a highway is one thing. Actually doing it is another entirely. At the sight of cars zipping by, the teens aren't so sure anymore.

“Are you guys insane?” Roberto asks again. “Are we really doing this?”

“Sam can jump over,” Illyana said. “I can take you with me across, but only one at a time.”

This is the most solid plan they've come up with in quite a while. Sam stands by the edge of the freeway, fists clenched. His entire body is vibrating. His heart is in his ears. What if he undershoots it and lands on the highway? On a car? He could kill everyone. He charges and charges, and finally, with one last sharp, fearful inhale, releases. He shoots high into the sky, high above the freeway, high above the trees on the other side, even. Like a shooting star, he disappears into the sky.

“Where did he go?” Roberto asks.

“We'll find him,” Rahne assures.

They don't have time for more questions, as Illyana grabs Roberto's hand and says:

“You should close your eyes.”

Roberto's eyes grow wide, then he and Illyana are gone. They reappear on the other side of the highway. Rahne and Dani look behind them. Dani can't see anything, but Rahne can hear the mercenaries getting closer. They're talking to each other, about how a few of them saw a streak in the sky that way. They saw Sam tear through the sky.

“When she comes back, you go with her,” Rahne tells Dani.

“What about you? What if they catch up?”

Rahne squeezes Dani's hand in hers and offers her a smile.

“Then I'll run across to get back to you. It'll be fine. We're living a bit longer, remember?”

Dani smiles and nods. She wants to kiss her right now, but at the edge of a highway while being chased by mercenaries doesn't exactly feel like the right time and place. Illyana reappears beside them.

“Next,” she says with a tired sigh.

The portal behind her is still open, waiting to be closed off. Dani is about to take her hand when something flies through the air. Rahne pulls her back. Two syringes find purchase in Illyana's chest. Her eyes grow wide, and she stumbles back through the portal. It closes off, and Illyana is nowhere to be seen.

“Illy!”

The mercenaries are coming closer, creeping over the slope, weapons at the ready. Rahne takes Dani's hand in hers once again.

“Do you trust me?”

Dani nods, and Rahne steps over the metal barrier and onto the highway. Dani follows swiftly. They run over the emergency lane and to the edge of the first lane. From the corner of her eye, Dani can see Rahne shifting, fur covering her neck, her ears growing thin and pointed. The hand holding hers grows claws which scrape harmlessly against her skin.

“When I tell you to run, run.”

Dani nods. Her heart is pounding out of her chest, her legs are shaking and she doesn't know if it's because she's tired of running, or scared.

“Now!”

Rahne lets go of her hand and runs across the highway's three lanes. Dani is slower to follow, but she runs as fast as her legs allow her. When Rahne reaches the barrier separating the two sides, she turns around and holds out her hand. Dani grabs it, and she's forcefully pulled out of the way, just as a car speeds past them. There are angry car horns as some people continue at full speed while others try slowing down, almost crashing into one another.

Dani's entire being is trembling. She made it through. Rahne pulls her out of her daze, helping her over the barriers and to the other side of the road. Behind them, the mercenaries have reached the edge of the highway. They are not as sheepish about stepping onto the highway as the teens had believed.

“Now!”

Almost as soon as they begin running, the mercenaries fire behind them. Through the cars blocking the path, not a single dart lands, but it doesn't stop Dani from freezing and trying to crouch, to avoid the syringes.

“Dani!”

There's a car coming her way, and despite the panicked look of the driver, she knows it won't stop on time. Then, there's Rahne, pulling her out of the way, curling around her like a safety blanket, taking the shock for her. They hit the car and Rahne avoids the brunt of it by jumping on the hood and pushing herself away from the car. She pulls Dani down with her, and they roll off the momentum on the bumpy concrete.

Dani is stunned for a moment, her brain is slightly rattled. Rahne is still holding onto her, staring intently at her, waiting for a reaction.

“Are you okay?” she asked, fear stifling her voice, keeping the words from forming properly.

“I'm okay,” Dani assures.

“Come on, guys! Time to go!” Roberto yells as he runs back to get them.

After the near accident, the cars on their side of the highway have all come to a stop, allowing the young man to run up to his friends and help them up. While the mercenaries are still trying to pass through the highway, the three teenagers disappear into the forest on the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this highway crossing scene!  
> Again, I wanted to thank all of you for reading this story. This morning I wasn't feeling too motivate and I didn't really want to write, but I received so many comments over the night it was a real moral boost to see that! So keep them coming! Now I just finished writing chapter 8 and I like the way things are looking.  
> Anyway, I hope you guys have a nice Sunday and I'll see you tomorrow for the next one!


	5. Snakes and Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While trying to hide from their pursuers, Dani resorts to using her powers.

On the other side of the highway, the forest becomes denser, the trees larger and clustered together, linked together by thorny bushes. Roberto, Rahne, and Dani run down a slope, trying to avoid any obstacles in their path. They know the mercenaries are not going to give up so easily.

  
Roberto is the first to stop and hide under a bush. He crawls under it and disappears amidst the thick green foliage. When Rahne sees him, she instantly begins looking for a hiding place for Dani and her. She finds it just a few feet further down the hill, in the form of a hole in the trunk of a tree. She grabs Dani by the hand and pulls her into a crouch behind the tree.

  
"You hide in here."

  
Dani sits on one side of the hole, expecting Rahne to take the other. Instead, Rahne presses a quick, trembling kiss on the corner of her mouth and says:

  
"I'll be right above you, okay? So I can make sure they're gone."

  
Dani wants to protest, but Rahne shifts and climbs up the trunk of the tree, before disappearing among the higher branches. Dani settles back in her hiding spot. Horrible memories return to the forefront of her mind, of the last time she was hiding in a tree. This time, however, they mingle with visions of Rahne being shot down from the tree. She tries to control her breathing. Don't think of the bear, she tells herself. Think of something else. At that moment, it is very difficult.

  
Her breathing calms, her heart rate slows. Dani begins to believe that the mercenaries have given up their chase. Then, she hears quiet, hurried footsteps.

  
"Spread out. They can't be too far."

  
The footsteps grow louder and fainter all at once. Dani places a hand over her mouth. She tries to keep her breathing under control, but the more she's certain the mercenaries are coming closer to her position, the harder it becomes. Don't think of the bear becomes think of the bear. Or better yet, find their fear. It's your power, after all, knowing other people's fears.

  
The voice in her mind is absolutely right. But that's theory. In practice, she's never been able to control it, use it at will. They never got to that step of the program. Dani leans back against the tree. She tries to ignore everything around her, to drown the noise and close her eyes. She tries to remember how it felt, to put an end to the bear's existence. The pressure slowly builds at the back of her skull.

  
The moment she knows she's onto something is when she can see Rahne's fears in her mind. Flashes, images, engraved in the back of her eyelids. She tries not to whimper when she sees the priest with half of his face torn off and the bright red branding iron in his hands. While he's still there, Dani also sees something else. Them, captured and torn away from each other, waking up alone.

  
Dani takes a deep breath, hoping to remain focused as she looks for someone else. The slight tingle at the back of her skull has erupted into a full-on itch, going from the top of her head and down to her shoulder blades. It sends cold shivers all over her body, and she tries not to let any of it distract her.

  
She finds him as he passes behind her tree. His mind is hard to penetrate, at first, but she latches on, she keeps probing, until she finds something. Snakes. This one is scared of snakes. As a child, he was almost bitten by a venomous snake during a family trip. It's a fear he never got over. It wasn't helped by how often his siblings watched Aladdin. He thinks it makes him cool, though, like Indiana Jones. He's afraid of snakes.

  
She's not certain it worked at first. The itch recedes to a simple pressure, and she thinks she's lost her focus. But there's a scream, followed by multiple gunshots which seem absolutely ineffective. And Dani knows she did it.

  
High above Dani, Rahne saw the shadows of the trees grow thicker, more solid until they formed a giant, fifty feet long cobra. It snakes its way between the trees, pursuing the mercenaries. When a massive shadow is cast over him, one of the mercenaries turns around. His scream is followed by a hiss. Like a bolt of lightning, the snake bites down on the man. His legs kick the air as he's pulled off the ground and swallowed in a couple of tries.

  
Another mercenary sees the snake and begins shooting. This alerts the others, who regroup around the snake.

  
"It's not real, it's a hallucination," one of them, probably the leader, says.

  
While the giant snake doesn't seem to care about the syringes planted all over its body, it doesn't like to be surrounded. With its tail, it sends three men flying into a bush.

  
"Looks bloody real to me!"

  
With another hiss, the snake attempts to bite one of the men. He tries to avoid it but isn't fast enough, and his entire arm is bitten off.

  
"Fuck this, I'm getting out of here!"

  
Following the smart one's suggestion, half of the dozen mercenaries run back up the hill as quickly as they can. The other half, including the leader, continue to fight the giant snake as best as they can.

  
"We need to find the girl," the leader says.

  
Half of the group breaks off, leaving only three mercenaries to deal with the snake. They spread out, moving loudly through the forest and searching every corner of every tree.

Rahne decides then that it is her turn to intervene. She imagines if Dani is focused on keeping the snake at bay, she won't know if any of the soldiers are coming. She nimbly jumps from the tree and goes for a hunt.

  
Dani can still feel the snake at the back of her mind as if it had a mind of its own that she could take control of at any moment. It takes a bit of time for her to ignore the loud gunshots, but finally, she finds herself in the control seat of the giant snake. She sees the three mercenaries dodging and reloading their weapons with real bullets this time as if it would make a difference. One has pulled out a stun baton and is bashing the snake's slick scales as if it would harm it in any way. She has the snake coil its body around the three of them. It's so big they have to climb over if they want to get out, which is a good opportunity for the snake to chomp down on them.

  
"Got you."

  
Dani's eyes fly open, and she finds herself face to face with the barrel of a rifle. Her heart stops. There's a splash of blood, it freckles her face and clothing. A flaming sword is pulled out of the mercenary's chest. He falls back with a gurgle. Illyana is standing on the other side, her sword in hand.

  
"You can thank me later," she says, before disappearing again.

  
Then, it's just a matter of a few minutes, as Illyana and Rahne take down the last few mercenaries. Dani walks out of her hiding hole and finds the snake waiting for her as if awaiting further instruction.

  
"Good work," she says, not sure whether it feels any pride.

  
The snake dissolves in the wind, like smoke over a fire camp. The teens regroup. Rahne gives Dani a hug, which Dani is all too happy to reciprocate.

  
"Are they all gone?" Roberto asks.

  
"Not thanks to you," Illyana says as the sword disappears out of her hand.

  
"What, I wasn't gonna burn down the whole forest just to get rid of a couple of guys."

  
"Where's Sam?" Rahne asks once she lets go of Dani but keeps her hand in hers.

  
"He disappeared that way," Illyana points down the slope.

  
"He must have crashed somewhere," Dani assumes.

  
"Let's find him then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> Since we're not really shown in the movie what it looks like when Dani controls her powers I had to improvise. I hope it was as close to what you guys imagined as possible.  
> I've been receiving so many comments yesterday, it makes me so happy! I'll take the time to answer to everyone today, but again, it's a really big motivation when I sit down to write every morning. So thanks everyone, from the bottom of my heart!  
> Anyway, see you tomorrow for the next chapter!


	6. A Hole in the Barn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally tracks Sam down to a nearby farm.

At the bottom of the hill, when the trees once again grow sparse, they find a farm. Sheep and cows and chickens are each in their pens, enjoying the morning air. There's a large house on one side of the property, and a barn on the other. And there's a massive hole in the roof of the barn. While the others pause at the edge of the forest, Illyana walks out and toward the farm. After a moment of hesitation, they follow her.

  
They step over the flaking fence. There's an old station wagon parked by the main house. The chicken fence occupies most of the space behind the house. The sheep are munching on some grass by the barn. The cows have a much larger space, across a dirt road which leads to the front of the house.

  
Tentatively, they make their way to the barn. Rahne pauses in the middle of the pathway, between the house and the barn. She can sense Sam's smell, that very acrid, coal-like smell that always follows him wherever he goes, but there's someone else's. Amidst the smells of all the animals around, however, it's difficult to tell where it's from.

  
Inside the barn is a lot of hay, and broken planks of wood in the middle of a circle of sunlight. Sam is nowhere to be seen.

  
"Sam?" Roberto calls out, in case he's hiding.

  
No answer.

  
"Guys?"

  
The three teenagers turn around, only to realize Rahne hasn't followed them inside. They walk back out and find her pointing to the main house. The front door is opened. Sam is standing on the porch, with an older woman standing beside him. She must be in her fifties, wearing old overalls and dirty boots. Her light blond, almost gray hair, is tied into a bun.

  
"See, I told you they'd find you," the woman says as she walks down the steps and comes to meet the group.

  
The teenagers exchange a few nervous glances before finding Sam's eyes. He doesn't look as nervous as them. If anything, he seems alright for someone who propelled himself over an entire mile and was being pursued by armed forces not too long ago.

  
"You shook them off?" the woman asks.

  
The teenagers can only nod vaguely, each at a different rhythm.

  
"Good. There's brioche and coffee in the kitchen if you're hungry. Sam told me you didn't have breakfast."

  
Roberto is all-too-happy to follow the woman inside, and claps Sam's back, calling him a madman as they make their way inside. After a moment of hesitation, Rahne and Dani follow them inside as well. Illyana is left standing there, staring at the house, trying to guess what bad thing might befall them in that house. When her eyes find Sam again, he gives a nod, and while she doesn't let go of all her suspicions, she follows them inside too.

* * *

They are led to the kitchen, to a clustered room with wooden furniture as ancient as the house itself, and a round table with a plastic tablecloth on it. Four heavy chairs surround the table. As they stand by the table, wondering who should sit where, the woman returns with two more chairs, probably taken from the dining room. It takes a bit of shuffling, but the five teenagers and the older woman finally manage to all sit around the table.

  
A home-made brioche is placed at the center of the table, with a long bread knife beside it. Jams are pulled out of the fridge, cups are placed on the table, and a coffee pot filled to the top is left for self-service. The woman serves herself a cup of coffee then says with a smile:

  
"Well, go on then, it's better when it's fresh."

  
The teenagers nervously glance at each other. Finally, Sam takes the knife and starts to cut slices of the puffy bread. He gives one to everyone, then sits back down.

  
"Y'all are lucky you arrived today. The brioche would have been pretty dry if you'd come yesterday."

  
She dips a piece of brioche in her coffee and eats it. The teens seem to relax slightly. One after the other, they take a small bite, then another. Jam and spoons are passed around, coffee is served, and finally, they all seem to relax.

  
"Sam told me what's the deal with you guys," the woman explains.

  
When the kids still, she adds:

  
"Just the broad lines. Locking up mutants, that's not right," she says with a click of the tongue and a shake of the head. "But you're safe here."

  
"Are we?" Illyana asks with her usual venom, "or have you already called the police?"

  
"I know you don't know me, but if I wanted you off my property, I would have pulled the shotgun, not the brioche. You're safe here for as long as you want to stay. Besides, Sam already promised he'd fixed the roof before living."

  
They all look at Sam, who blushes furiously.

  
"I couldn't just leave it there," he mumbles.

  
As silence falls around the room, Dani says:

  
"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am."

  
"You're welcome. And please, call me Amanda."

  
Dani nods.

  
"I'm Dani."

  
"Rahne."

  
"Roberto."

  
They all look expectantly at Illyana, who has already finished her breakfast and is talking in hush whispers to Lockheed. Instead of giving her name, she stands up and walks away.

  
"Please ignore Illyana's manners, she was probably raised in a barn," Roberto says.

  
"It's alright. I can't imagine what you guys must have gone through. But like I said, you're safe here. I have a few empty bedrooms upstairs you can share."

  
"If there's anything we can do to help," Rahne suggests.

  
"We'll see about that. The boys can start by fixing the hole in my barn."

  
Illyana returns a few moments later, Lockheed still on her hand. She takes another slice of brioche and disappears in a flash. The teens stare at Amanda, waiting for a reaction. She blinks in surprise but says nothing. A moment later, Illyana reappears, takes her half-empty cup of coffee, and disappears again.

  
"Will I ever see that mug again?" Amanda asks.

  
"We'll make sure she brings it back," Dani assures.

  
"Please do, it's one of the few my daughter didn't break, I'd like to have it back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! There's going to be a bit less fighting for the next few chapters, so I hope you're okay with the teens having fun at the farm. I promise it's not gonna last for the next 20 chapters.  
> I've received a lot of requests yesterday for Illyana and Roberto getting together. Don't worry, it was already planned from the start, simply it's going to be a slow burn between these two. I don't know how much, I'm trying to bring them together organically, but between Roberto's past histories with relationships and Illyana's whole backstory... It's gonna take a while...  
> I've also been doing more research into the group and their powers. Now let me tell you, I do like comics but sometimes it's just too much. Like do you know how many times Rahne or Dani have lost their powers, just to have them back and then lose them again? It's absolutely ridiculous!  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	7. Sun Bathing and Sheep Herding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the boys fix the hole in the barn's roof, Dani and Rahne watch over the sheep.

Armed with planks of woods and helped with a ladder, the boys make their way up on the roof of the barn. It's pretty high up, but neither of them cares. They sit on either side of the hole left by Sam.

  
"So, how do we do this?" Roberto asks.

  
"Place it there," Sam indicates.

  
The first plank is placed over the bottom edge of the hole, and Sam reaches for the box of nails in his pocket and the hammer tugged in his belt. He begins hammering in the nails in the four corners of the plank, while Roberto keeps it in place with both hands. He looks around. He can't see the highway from here, just the climbing hill, and the trees growing thicker and thicker. The sky is clear, and only a few puffy clouds swirl over the mountains in the distance. As he looks toward the house, and the dirt path leading away, he can't even see the road, only more grass and forest and high, white-looking mountains in the distance.

  
"So, how'd you guys escape?" Sam asks once he's done nailing the first plank, and reaching for the second.

  
"We got lucky," Roberto says with a shrug because he too still isn't sure how they escaped. From his position, he heard about a giant snake, and maybe Dani was responsible for it, but he'd rather count his blessings and enjoy his freedom, even if it means he doesn't know exactly how and why.

  
Sam gives a slight nod and hammers in the next plank. Roberto looks back at the house. The girls have yet to come back out. Nervous, bubbling energy sits in the pit of his stomach.

  
"What do you know about Amanda?" he asks Sam over the rhythmic sound of the nail being hit by the hammer.

  
Again, Sam shrugs.

  
"Not much. She didn't seem that worried or surprised when I fell through the roof. She was feeding the chicken over there. I think she's alright."

  
Roberto purses his lips thoughtfully.

  
"What if Illy's right, though? What if she's hiding something?"

  
"I guess we're fighting our way out again. But at this point, we can't really get worse than what we had before."

  
Roberto meditates on Sam's words of wisdom as he holds the third plank. If need be, everything looks pretty flammable around here, he thinks. Much easier to get out of then the center. With a nod, Roberto puts the thought to rest and focuses on the task at hand.

* * *

Dani was glad for the opportunity to take a shower, and wash off the blood of her enemy from her face. She would have complained to Illyana if the blonde hadn't most probably saved her. She emerges out of the bathroom, refreshed and clean despite still wearing her old clothes. Rahne is seating on the stairs, her eyes on the bathroom door. She perks up with a smile when she sees Dani.

  
"Your turn?" Dani asks, knowing Rahne probably has her fair share of blood on her hands.

  
Rahne nervously passes a hand over the scared side of her neck.

  
"No, it's alright. I was waiting for you. And Illyana."

  
Dani comes to sit by Rahne's side.

  
"She's still in Limbo?"

  
Rahne shakes her head.

  
"Or if she's returned I haven't seen her yet. I just wanted to make sure she's going to return the mug."

  
Dani takes Rahne's hand in hers. She looks for the words for a moment, and Rahne seems to feel her nervousness as she looks at her with warm tenderness in her brown eyes. Dani lets out a long breath.

  
"I just wanted to apologize. Earlier. When I was trying to use my powers. The first person that I could focus on was you. And I saw him, but I also saw..." she cuts herself. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have. I didn't mean to."

  
Rahne nods, acknowledging what Dani had just said.

  
"It's alright. I didn't even realize you did it."

  
"It doesn't make it right. I shouldn't be looking into your mind like that."

  
Rahne offers her a small smile.

  
"How about this? If we're ever in danger again, you can look into my head if it helps you focus your powers, so long as you don't use your powers on me."

  
"Never. I would never."

  
"I know. I trust you."

  
Dani smiles, a weight lifting off of her shoulders. She glances down the stairs, and when she can't see Amanda, she leans forward to kiss Rahne. Rahne reciprocates, chasing Dani's lips as she tries to pull away. After another kiss, they part. Dani stands up, never letting go of Rahne's hand.

  
"Come on, let's see if we can make ourselves useful."

* * *

Since Amanda can't seem to find something for them to do, Dani suggests they watch over the sheep. Amanda shrugs off her proposal, saying that the sheep don't really need any keeping, but she won't stop them if they want to. The girls make their way outside. Sam is climbing down the steps, the hammer in one hand.

  
"Where's 'Berto?" Rahne asks.

  
"Still up there. He decided to take a sunbath."

  
Rahne nimbly climbs up the ladder, only to find Roberto, topless, reclined on the roof of the barn.

  
"Are you serious?" Rahne says, a slight giggle in her voice.

  
Roberto keeps his eyes closed as he replies:

  
"Do you know how often I tried sunbathing at the center? Reyes' shields don't let enough sunlight through to let me tan."

  
Rahne climbs back down, laughing lightly. At the bottom of the ladder, Sam is making sure the nail box is closed and he didn't lose any in his pockets, while Dani is holding onto the ladder, just in case.

  
"Any sign of Illyana?" Sam asks.

  
"Not yet."

  
"I bet she'll come back when she's hungry or something," Rahne says as she touches the ground once again. Sam shrugs and walks away, toward the trap door leading into the basement of the house, where he took the hardware supplies in the first place. Dani takes Rahne's hand back in hers and leads her toward the sheep paddock.

  
When they reach the paddock, some of the sheep who were grazing nearby look up at them and power-walk away.

  
"I think I'm making them nervous," Rahne says.

  
"What? You think they can sense the wolf in you?" Dani teases.

  
"Probably."

  
Dani steps over the paddock wooden fence.

  
"I think they're just nervous to see someone new. Come on."

  
Reluctantly, Rahne climbs over the fence as well. On the other side, the sheep are seemingly keeping a nervous eye on the two strangers, while continuing to graze. 

  
"Oh, want to see something cool?" Dani says as she lets go of Rahne's hands.

  
"Sure."

  
Dani tears off a bit of grass from outside the fence and places it flat in her hand. Then she holds it out and waits until one of the sheep comes up to her. It eats out of her hand, and she lightly pets the coarse graying wall on its back. When she turns around, she finds Rahne staring at her with a wide grin on her face.

  
"Come on, try. I'm sure they're not as scared of you as you think."

  
After a moment of hesitation, Rahne picks up some grass as well. Dani watches as she flattens her hand and approaches the sheep slowly. When one finally comes up to eat out of her hand, Dani can hear Rahne's breath catch in her throat. She smiles.

  
"See? I told you they'd like you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry no Illyana this chapter, but she'll be back in tomorrow's chapter, so don't worry.  
> This morning I wrote chapter 14, meaning I'm halfway through writing the story or so I planned, but I'm thinking about maybe extending it even further. I know logically everything must come to an end but I want to make sure it's a satisfying one. I'll just trust my instincts on this one I guess.  
> I don't know if it's just me mishearing because of Rahne's accent or if she truly did call him 'Berto in the movie, I decided that she did because nicknames are fun.  
> I received so many comments yesterday! I'm going to answer to everyone, but I was sure there were things I was supposed to talk to everyone about and I forgot...Oh well...  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	8. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illyana confirms her suspicions and the group makes a plan for the future.

Illyana reappears in the kitchen a few hours later. She expects to find Amanda there, but the room is empty. She clicks her tongue and places the empty mug on the counter before making her way out of the room. She climbs up the stairs in search of the owner of the house, pulling Lockheed out of her pocket to place it over her hand.

  
"Let's see if she's lying..."

  
Just as she reaches the top of the staircase, she finds Amanda walking down the ladder leading to the attic. The older woman lets the ladder fold back up as the trap door shuts. She turns around and steps back in surprise at the sight of Illyana.

  
"Oh, there you are. I thought I heard rummaging upstairs. I thought it may have been you."

  
"It was me," Illyana confirms.

  
She casually leans against the staircase railing. Ask her, Lockheed says.

  
"Who's Tabitha? I found her stuff all over the attic. In that bedroom too. Oh, and in the basement."

  
Amanda crosses her arms.

  
"I see you've explored the house."

  
Illyana raises an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. She doesn't mind having to threaten the older woman for answers. However, before she can, Amanda sighs and explains:

  
"Tabby... Tabitha is my daughter. She's a mutant, like you. When she mutated, well... neither I nor her father really reacted like we should have."

  
"Where is she now?" Illyana asks.

  
"She ran away, I haven't seen or heard from her since. For all I know she could have been caught, just like you."

  
Illyana stares intensely at the older woman.

  
"How come I don't believe you?"

  
"Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. It is what it is. There's not much I can do to fix it now. All I can do is make sure that you kids are safe."

  
Amanda walks past Illyana to the stairs.

  
"Your friends are outside if you're looking for them."

  
The older woman makes her way down the stairs. Illyana remains by the stairs a bit longer, listening to Amanda's footsteps, and the way the wood groans under her weight. Then, she returns to the bedroom she'd explored earlier.

  
It's a girl's bedroom alright, the walls painted a soft pink color, while most of the furniture is white. There are fairy lights on the wall, fluorescent stars stuck to the ceiling, and butterfly stickers over the desk. It looks like a bedroom ripped out of a magazine, or so it would, if not for the singed marks. They are everywhere in the room. One corner is filled with them, dark burned marks forming a circle on the wall and wooden floor. Some are hidden behind a heavy wardrobe. Others are still in plain sight when they could have easily been painted over. In one spot on the ceiling, there's a small hole where the plaster has fallen, revealing a pipe. Whoever lived there, they were unhappy, Illyana can tell. This was their cage.

* * *

When Illyana teleports outside she scares a few sheep and all of her friends. Roberto is still laying on the roof, while Dani and Rahne are seating on the fence, watching the sheep graze. Sam is laying in the grass nearby. Their voices die down. Illyana doesn't say anything, at first. She simply sits on the grass by Sam's side, and pets Lockheed.

  
Dani is the first to ask:

  
"Everything alright?"

  
"She has a daughter. A mutant too. She drove her away."

  
The others frown. They turn to face her.

  
"How do you know?" Sam says.

  
"I asked her. And I looked around the house."

  
Glances are exchanged. On the rooftop, Roberto can barely hear what is being said. He finally decides to put his shirt back on and climb down. He leans on the fence beside Dani and Rahne.

  
"What are we doing, then?" Rahne asks.

  
"I think we should talk about that," Dani says. "We haven't really had the time to talk about what we're going to do now."

  
While each of the teens retracts to their own minds, thinking about a good idea, the wind picks up and makes the weathercock on the roof of the house shifts slightly.

  
"I could call my parents," Roberto suggests.

  
"You think your parents want you back?" Illyana replies harshly.

  
"I can always try calling them," Roberto shouts back.

  
Still, Illyana shakes her head.

  
"Your parents threw you out like an old sock. He's wanted for murder or something like that. Her whole family's dead and she's probably dead if she tries to go home."

  
A veil of sadness falls over the teens. Even if Illyana's words are harsh, they are also true. They don't have anywhere to go, or anyone who cares for them. They only have each other.

  
"We stick together," Dani says. "I say we take the bus, try to make it to Canada. Apply for asylum there."

  
"They'll never give us asylum," Illyana says. "They might just give us straight back to Essex."

  
"Fine, then we find a place where no one else will ever find us. If we can only count on ourselves, then that's what we'll do."

  
The others nod as they seem to agree. Even though the task seems daunting, and the odds of them escaping Essex forever seem slim, the comfort of being able to count on each other chases the cold feeling out of their hearts.

  
"What about this?" Illyana says, pulling the credit card out of her jacket. "I have a feeling this is how they tracked us in the first place."

  
Sam takes the card in both hands. His arms begin to vibrate until the card snaps in half.

  
"Let's not take any chances."

  
"I could have done it, you know," Illyana says as she takes both pieces of the card back, and stuffed them back in her pocket.

  
"Are we leaving tomorrow?" Rahne asks.

  
"I think we should," Dani replies. "Even if Essex lost us, they could still be looking for us around here. If they send more mercenaries after us, and we're here... I don't want anything happening to Amanda."

  
The others nod in agreement.

  
"And that also means we're not stealing anything from here, alright?"

  
All eyes fall on Illyana, who glares back at her friends.

  
"I haven't stolen anything yet, alright? And what does it matter if I did? Not like her daughter's going to come back to claim it."

  
They sigh, but no one bothers to ask what Illyana is hiding in her pockets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I told you Illyana wouldn't be gone for long.  
> This morning I started writing the part of the story that I knew would be my favorite, and I was right, and it's gonna be awesome, but you guys won't get to read it for at least another week so I'll stop bragging now.  
> Tomorrow morning I have my back to college meeting, or whatever you want to call those. This means that I will definitely post before going, but I might not be able to write much and probably won't have time to reply to comments, or at least I won't tomorrow morning. Maybe in the afternoon, once I'm back. That doesn't mean you shouldn't comment, just don't worry if I don't reply until Saturday or something.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you tomorrow for the next chapter!


	9. Roberto's Tomato Sauce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day at the farm is spent leisurely, talking, and enjoying the calm summer air.

Although they told Amanda they planned to leave soon, she insisted they spend the night at the farm, and she would take them herself to the next town over in the morning, so they could take whichever bus they wanted. Illyana still found it suspicious, but since none of them wanted to spend the night in the forest, they agreed to stay.

  
The sky turns from ocean blue to pumpkin orange. Most of the day has been spent leisurely, talking, and enjoying a calm, sunny air. Roberto has returned on the roof of the barn and slept there all afternoon. His skin has tanned so much, in fact, that Dani suspects he used his powers to cheat if that is even possible. Illyana sat on the roof beside him all afternoon, but certainly not to tan, and instead to keep an eye out for any threat coming their way. She eventually grew bored, and stole a box of wax pastels inside – who knows where she went searching for it – and began drawing on the wood tiles of the roof. Sam stayed with Rahne and Dani and the sheep for some time, but when he began to feel like a third wheel, he went for a walk around the cows' paddock. When he returns, none of his friends seem to have moved, so he goes inside the house, and with Amanda's authorization, borrows a book and sits in an armchair to read.

  
Dani and Rahne have been seating by the sheep almost all day. Slowly but surely, the woolly animals get used to their company, and approach them without fears, sometimes even letting themselves be petted. Rahne grows in confidence around the animals, and Dani knows she probably looks goofy, smiling so widely every time Rahne interacts with a sheep, but she can't help it.

  
"I never knew sheep were so nice," Rahne says as the sheep she finished petting returns to the folds.

  
"Are there a lot of sheep where you come from?" Dani asks.

  
Rahne settles on the fence once again before answering.

  
"Quite a few, but you don't really want to go around petting them. They all belong to someone, and you don't want to piss them off, you know? And between the rain and the snow, half of the time they're inside."

  
Dani nods.

  
"What about you?"

  
"There weren't a lot of animals at the reservation. It's expensive to keep, you know? Not a lot of people can afford it. Dogs and cats, chickens sometimes. A friend of mine had a goldfish. He lived for almost twelve years, no one had ever seen that."

  
As Dani speaks, her heart pinches in her chest, causing her voice to crack. She hasn't thought about the reservation since they've left the center. It hurts every time she does, to think she'll never see her friends, her tribe, ever again. Rahne must feel the sadness sipping into her soul because she slides just a bit closer to Dani and takes her hand.

  
"How did you know how to feed the sheep?" she asks.

  
Dani tries to keep the grief out of her mind as she replies:

  
"When I was a kid my dad took me to a petting zoo. I used to love animals, you know? I wanted to become a vet when I was younger."

  
Rahne smiles at her.

  
"I don't know why that doesn't surprise me."

  
"That I like animals?"

  
"I mean, you're with me, aren't you?"

  
Dani feels her cheeks growing warmer, and on reflex, she looks away. They haven't talked about it yet, whether they're dating, or whether they're girlfriends. They haven't had the time to talk about it, with everything that went down at the center and afterward. Dani knows she wants all of those things, and she assumes Rahne wants them too. She's about to ask when the door to the house cricks open and Amanda shouts:

  
"Girls, can you get the sheep inside for the night?"

  
Dani shouts back:

  
"We've got this."

  
Dani hops off the fence and turns back to Rahne. She's looking at her like she always does, with the utmost softness in her eyes. Dani can't help but smile every time she sees that look.

  
"I have an idea," Dani says, "but it's up to you."

  
Rahne looks at her with curiosity as she, too, hops off the fence.

  
"You've ever seen a sheepdog herding sheep around?"

  
It doesn't take long for Rahne to follow Dani's train of thoughts, and soon enough, she's in her wolf form, running around the paddock and barking joyfully, forcing the sheep inside the barn, while Dani stands by the barn door, making sure all the sheep are going in their designated spot instead of running around the barn. Once all the sheep are inside, she closes the fence off. Rahne appears beside her in her human form and places a kiss on Dani's cheek.

  
"That was really fun," she admits.

  
"You looked like you were having fun."

  
"Maybe that's a job I should consider."

  
"Shepard?" Dani asks as she takes her hand and leads out of the barn.

  
"No, sheepdog," Rhane replies with a shake of the head. "Shepard is just too much responsibility."

* * *

When the girls step inside the house, they find Sam still on the couch, reading the book he started earlier. Illyana is nowhere to be seen, but Roberto is in the kitchen, slicing tomatoes.

  
"Are you cooking tonight, 'Berto?" Rahne asks.

  
"Well, it's the least I can do," he replies as he expertly finishes slicing the tomato.

  
"I mean, the least we could do is not poison her," she replies.

  
Dani tries to contain her laughter, and even Sam lets out a chuckle before pretending it was a cough. Roberto turns around, knife dripping with tomato juice.

  
"I'll have you know that I'm not responsible for the poor quality of the food at the center, when everything was frozen or in a can. This is a fresh tomato."

  
He turns around and shows off a bell pepper, a bottle of spice, and an onion.

  
"These are fresh, and I know what I'm doing."

  
He starts cutting another tomato, and Dani asks:

  
"What are you making?"

  
"Tomato sauce."

  
"I'm sure it'll be really good."

  
"Don't pretend that you care when you were laughing two seconds ago."

  
Dani moves to stand beside Roberto, placing a hand on his shoulders.

  
"We're sorry. Rahne didn't mean it. Just... let me help, alright?"

  
This seems to soften the taller teen, at least a bit.

  
"I don't need help. You can just set the table."

  
"Thanks for making dinner, 'Berto," Rahne says before the two girls leave the kitchen in search of Amanda.

  
Roberto doesn't turn around, but a small smile creeps on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It is my headcanon that Roberto actually enjoys cooking and is pretty good at it. I don't know where this idea came from, if it's because of how often he was in the kitchen when we saw him, but I like it.  
> Wish me luck on my return to school meeting this morning! It's nothing, all you have to do is sit down and listen to the teachers explaining what they're expecting of you this year and all, but it's the first year of my Master's Degree so it makes me feel both super old and yet still like a child. I'll try to get a bit of writing down before I have to hop on the bus.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	10. Go Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens enjoy an evening at the farm before going to bed

Roberto's tomato sauce was good, far better than any of the food the teens have ever eaten at the center. They eat up their plates ferociously. When dinner is over, the sky has turned a comfortable shade of dark, light up by millions of stars. Amanda goes upstairs to make their beds. When they try to help she brushes them off and tells them to enjoy their evening.

  
Naturally, the whole group moves outside, to the porch. They sit on the stairs there and observe the sky silently for a moment. Finally, Illyana pulls out a deck of cards – no one asks her where she stole this one – and suggests:

  
"Go Fish?"

  
It's the only game all of them know how to play, the only one they can always agree on. Illyana takes out the two jokers and deals the cards. The rest is placed into a small pile on the stairs, in arm's reach of everyone. As they unveil their cards, Roberto lets out a shout.

  
"Already got a pair," he says, pulling two fours off his cards.

  
"Fine, I'll start," Illyana decides.

  
She turns to glare at Roberto and says:

  
"Give me your seven."

  
Roberto reluctantly pulls a card out of his hand and hands it to the blonde.

  
"Are you using your mind powers to cheat?"

  
"I don't have mind powers, we've been over this a hundred times."

  
Illyana makes a pair, then Roberto turns to Dani.

  
"Do you have any tens?"

  
"Go fish."

  
The game continues on. Roberto becomes annoyed as his hand grows with more and more cards, yet Dani doesn't have any of the ones he wants. When Rahne asks Sam for a queen and he sends her fish, she comes out with a nine, making a pair, and Dani gives her a high five.

  
"We're not playing in teams," Roberto reminds them.

  
Illyana sends Sam fishing, then says:

  
"I'm not sleeping in the same bedroom as you tonight. I'd rather spend the night in limbo than near the two of you."

  
"All we do is cuddle and sleep," Dani replies defensively.

  
"I don't care. It's already gross enough for me."

  
"I am not sleeping on the couch again," Roberto warns. "Once was enough."

  
They fall back into the game. Sam finally scores his first pair after another turn, the cards almost slipping out of his hands as he tries to place them on the step beside him.

  
"Where'd you learn to cook?" Rahne asks Roberto as he makes a pair of kings.

  
Roberto falls silent for a moment and the game comes to a standstill before he explains:

  
"My mom. I mean, we had a cook at home and all, but she showed me a few things. She said it would impress the girls if I knew how to cook. So she showed me some things. I learned a few things on my own too."

  
He stops when his voice quivers too much to continue. The others watch as the situation seems to fully sink into Roberto. He'll never see his family again. That sliver of hope he'd been holding onto has evaporated. He chokes in a sob. He stands up hurriedly, his cards falling onto the stairs, and takes a few steps away. He stays with his back to them, but they can see his shoulders shaking.

  
Sam, Dani, and Rahne stand all at once. They walk down the steps and approach Roberto slowly. Sam places a hand on his shoulder. Rahne hugs him. Dani takes his hand in hers. They keep him close as he breaks down, and tears run down his cheeks like they haven't in quite some time.

  
Illyana watches them from the stairs. She doesn't know what to do to comfort someone. She finds herself scared to hurt him even more if she tries anything. Instead, she trusts the others to do what she can't. She seats in silence, and looks at them, and waits until Roberto stops crying, until his breathing slows and he dries his cheek with a brush of his wrist. The others guide him back to the porch. Illyana doesn't say anything. She picks up the cards, shuffles them again, and announces, even though it's not exactly true:  
"Roberto won this one."

  
The cards are dealt again, Roberto's breakdown is not addressed again, and the game begins anew.

* * *

They play until late into the night, the porch light illuminating their game. Illyana doesn't want to stop until she wins, and once she wins, she declares the game boring and not worth her time anymore. The others suspect it's so she can keep the title of reigning winner, even though Rahne has won twice already, and Roberto four times.

  
When they finally go back inside, partly because the air has grown cold and partly because they've grown bored of the game, they find Amanda in the armchair, watching some procedural crime show on the old TV.

  
"You guys going to bed?" she asks, glancing at the clock on the wall.

  
It's almost ten, but Dani has been yawning regularly for half an hour already.

  
"Probably, yeah," Sam replies.

  
"Alright. Good night, kids."

  
They climb the stairs loudly. The queen-sized bed in the guest room has been made, as well as the one in the girl's bedroom. An extra mattress has been brought in the bedroom. Illyana doesn't hesitate for a second and takes the mattress on the ground.

  
"You two take the guest bedroom," she says, pointing to Dani and Rahne.

  
"I don't think that's what Amanda had in mind," Rahne says.

  
"I don't care, I said I wasn't sleeping in the same room as you, and I meant it."

  
The two girls glance at the boys, who shrug. Almost as soon as the boys step inside, nervous energy takes over the two girls. They've never really been alone in a bedroom before.

  
"I'll be right back," Rahne says, and she steps into the bathroom and locks the door behind her.

  
Dani stares at the door for a moment, before she moves to the guest room. It's a mostly empty room, except for a very clustered wardrobe in a corner, and a bed taking most of the room. She takes off her shoes and dirty denim shirt, then seats on the bed, waiting for Rahne. The redhead returns some time later, though Dani isn't sure how long. She's fidgeting with the sleeves of her shirt again, something Dani hasn't seen her do in a few days. She shuts the door behind her and clears her throat.

  
"Can we just cuddle?" she asks, with a trembling, hurried voice.

  
Between her accent and the way all the syllables sound bunched up, it takes a moment for Dani to understand what she means. But when she does, she smiles.

  
"Of course," Dani replies.

  
The answer seems to relax Rahne. She toes off her shoes and takes off her sweater. She climbs into bed with Dani, who holds the cover opens for her. Once the covers are secured over them, Rahne slips against Dani and holds her. Dani wraps one arm around her.

  
They're both quiet for a moment, seemingly enjoying each other's nearness. Finally, Dani says:

  
"I know things are a mess right now, and it's probably going to be complicated but... I'd like to take you on a date when we can."

  
Rahne's head lifts from Dani's shoulder and she looks into her dark eyes.

  
"I've never been on a date before," she says. "What would we do?"

  
Dani shrugs vaguely.

  
"I don't know. It depends on where we go, I suppose."

  
"I think it would be fun."

  
"Me too."

  
Their eyes meet, and Rahne leans in for a kiss. Once their lips meet, Dani shifts closer, seeking the redhead. Her hand finds Rahne's hips, the edge of her shirt. Her fingers slip under, gently touching the warm skin of her waist, above the waistband of her pants. Rahne seems hesitant for a moment, but when she finds that Dani's fingers aren't moving, simply enjoying the contact with her skin, she relaxes. One of Rahne's hand slips through Dani's soft dark hair, while the other holds her weight as they shift, and she suddenly finds herself on top.

  
Their make-out session is pulled to a halt when Dani's free hand reaches for Rahne's neck and accidentally passes over the fresh red mark. Rahne winces and pulls back. Dani instantly pulls her hand away, as if she's the one who just got burned.

  
"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry," she apologizes quickly.

  
Rahne sits back on her heels. There's a spike-like pain coming from where Dani has touched, coming and going to her brain in waves.

  
"It's alright. I'm okay."

  
She takes a deep breath, ignoring the pain, and shifts to cuddle against Dani's side again. Dani places a kiss on the crown of her head.

  
"I'm sorry," she says, and Rahne knows she's not talking about touching the mark.

  
"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Did I actually play go fish with myself for five minutes to keep the continuity of the scene correct? Maybe.  
> I don't know what happened this morning, I started writing at the same time as I usually do but I stopped much later, which is not good because I have a lot of things to do. I got trapped into a fluff scene with Dani and Rahne if that explains anything.  
> So, a few good news: first my college delayed the beginning of classes for another week, so I still have a week of undisturbed schedule to write and post. Also, the second good news is that I added quite a few chapters to the story, and I finally know how I'm gonna end it (better late than never). So you may have noticed the story jumped to 34 chapters. It's still a temporary number, I might need a few more.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I have to run and get everything ready for my D&D game this afternoon so I'll reply to all the comments once I'm done with that, I promise, and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!
> 
> PS: We broke the 1000 views yesterday! Keep up the good read, you guys, we'll be at 2000 in no time!


	11. Dark Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rahne is woken up in the middle of the night by something wet and cold falling on her face.

The night is quiet until Rahne is awakened by a shiver, and cold, wet things falling on her face. She rubs her face and blinks awake. The roof of the house is gone as if there'd never been a roof at all. It's just the open sky, dark, and snowflakes floating down. For a moment, Rahne thinks that she's still dreaming, but when she looks beside her, she sees Dani curled into a ball on her side.

  
"Dani, wake up."

  
Rahne shakes her awake worriedly, all too aware of what could happen if Dani went searching too deep in hers or someone else's mind. Thankfully, Dani's eyes flutter open soon after and she frowns when cold flakes fall on her cheeks. She looks up as well and lets out a worried sigh.

  
"Are you alright?" she instantly asks Rahne.

  
"I'm fine. It's just snow."

  
Dani shakes her head.

  
"Last time it..."

  
She swallows and holds out her hand, hoping to accumulate some of the snow in her palm.

  
"It turned to blood."

  
The light of the moon is bright in the room, it falls above them like a spot. With her thumb, Dani sieves through the flakes, which are slowly melting against her palm. There's only crystal white there, nothing red. Then, a single dark flake falls over the small pile of white. Both Dani and Rahne notice it instantly.

  
"What now?" Rahne asks, a quiver in her voice.

  
"I don't know..."

  
Dani pushes herself out of the bed and opens the bedroom door. Only half of the corridor is getting snowed it, as the other half is untouched by her powers. A layer of dark falls above them, melting in their hair and over their clothes.

  
"It smells like coal," Rahne whispers as she follows Dani into the corridor.

  
The girls glance at each other, and Dani crosses the hall quickly, to open the other bedroom door. It creaks open. The same dark snow is falling on top of their friends. Roberto doesn't seem to care as he has pulled all of the blankets to himself, and is now completely hidden underneath them. Illyana is awake and staring at the flakes of coal falling all over her. She turns her head to look at the other girls, standing by the doorstep.

  
"Are you doing that?" she asks.

  
A whimper coming from Sam is their only answer. It seems he is the one having a nightmare.

  
"I'll wake him up," Rahne decides. "You just try to calm yourself, okay?"

  
Dani nods and after a moment of hesitation, she returns to the guest room. She sits down on the bed and closes her eyes. Control, she tells herself. It's not that difficult, she just has to make it stop snowing coal. She takes deep, regular breaths. These are the moments when she wishes Reyes had taught her how to control it, instead of trying to put her down like a dog.

  
She only opens her eyes when the door opens with a squeak. The coal has stopped falling from the sky. Much like the previous time it happened, the bed is intact, as if it hadn't snowed at all. Only the spots of black marring Rahne's clothes, face, and hair are a sign that for a brief moment, she made it snow coal.

  
"How's Sam?" she asks as Rahne shuts the door behind her.

  
"He's fine. Says he's sorry."

  
Dani frowns.

  
"What? It's not his fault, I made it snow coal."

  
Rahne sits down on the bed beside her.

  
"Is it possible that when you sleep, your mind looks for people who are having nightmares?"

  
Dani shakes her head, though it seems like a possibility. When she had no control at all, her mind went looking for the worst nightmares near her, which, to be fair, wasn't so hard to find when you consider what her friends have been through. Now she feels she has a modicum of control over it, but apparently, it wasn't completely true.

  
Outside the door, the shower starts running, breaking the peaceful silence of the night.

  
"Illy is taking a shower, she said."

  
"What time is it?" Dani asks.

  
"Around three in the morning."

  
Dani groans. All of this is her fault.

  
"Do you want to shower before going back to bed?" she asks.

  
Rahne shrugs.

  
"I mean, I don't want to stain the bed with coal."

  
So they wait their turn for the shower, mostly in silence. When Illyana frees the shower, Rahne goes to take one, leaving Dani to sit on the bed on her own. She returns soon after, and Dani takes her turn. When she emerges out of the shower, it's almost four, and Rahne is curled up in the middle of the bed. A tender smile spreads on Dani's lips. She brushes the water out of her hair one last time, then slips into bed. Rahne slides closer to her. Sleep tries to invade her bones again, but adrenaline keeps shooting into her heart, keeping Dani awake. It seems swearing off fear is harder than it looks, and a new one creeps into her mind. The ever-present fear of hurting her friends. So she forces her eyes open, forces them to focus on Rahne's sleepy face, until her head falls heavily on the pillow and she sees cross-eyed, followed by darkness.

* * *

In the morning Dani is angry at herself for having fallen back to sleep. She follows her friends downstairs for breakfast, the rest of the previous day's brioche and coffee. If Amanda heard or saw anything during the night, she doesn't mention it. Only when breakfast is over and the dishes are cleaned, she takes her handbag and car keys and says:

  
"Are you kids ready to leave?"

  
They pile up in the station wagon, with Sam seating in the passenger seat, Illyana, Roberto, and Dani in the backseat, and Rahne in the trunk. Once all the belts that can be fastened are, Amanda starts the engine and drives away.

  
The road is mostly dirt, at first, curling around the cows' paddock. The sun is climbing in the perfect blue sky, without a cloud in sight. And there's someone standing in the middle of the road.

  
It takes a moment for Amanda to see the figure, standing perfectly still in the middle of the dirt road, blocking their path to town. But when she does see it, she halts the car suddenly. All the belts tighten around their chest as the car tries to protect its occupants, while at the back Rahne is slightly thrown off. The figure is a woman dressed in a black and purple outfit. Her hair is long and dark, flowing behind her. There's a red sash tied around her waist like a belt. A katana is attached to her belt. And she's not moving. She's just standing there, waiting for something.

  
Amanda pressed down on the wheel, the car honks. Still, the figure doesn't move. Rahne pushes herself up so she can look over the seats. Only she sees the diamond on the woman's chest.

  
"It's Essex," she says. "We have to go, now!"

  
Amanda obeys, forcing the car into a speedy reverse. The car doesn't move. Something is holding it back. The woman holds out her hand, and the car is sent flying over the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a cliffhanger! Too bad you'll have to wait *checks notes beside me* a day to find out what happens! I am such an evil person!  
> So as promised the farm arc is coming to a close. You can definitely expect some action next chapter. Also, I couldn't remember for sure if Dani's room was covered in blood after her nightmare, it seemed to me that it wasn't, and only she was, so that's the rule that I went with. I wish I could go back to see the movie one more time but with all the books I'm gonna have to by for school, I might be left without enough money to actually go and see it again. Plus the odds that my local theater isn't showing the movie in English anymore are pretty high, and the French version will be like torture to me, I don't even want to bother.  
> Anyway, I hope you have a nice Sunday and I will see you tomorrow for the next chapter!


	12. Dueling in the Morning Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the others try to get out of the car, Illyana fights the mysterious woman head-on.

As soon as she feels the car flipping over, Illyana teleports out of it. She appears where the car had been two seconds before, facing the mysterious woman. Armor creeps up her arm, as her flaming sword appears in her hand.

  
"I don't care who you are, you're going to suffer," she says.

  
The woman draws her katana out. Much like Illyana's sword, the blade seems to catch fire, as purple energy covers its length. Illyana is not deterred by the prospect of a magical sword fight. If anything, she's excited.

  
"Come on, let's play."

* * *

When the car is done flipping around, it stops on its side, trapping the left side to the ground. For the most part, the windows have held, fracturing but not shattering. Only one of the side windows at the back has exploded into a hundred pieces. The roof of the car has been compressed by the fall, and one of the wheels has been torn open.

  
Sam is quick to recover. He's used to shocks. He shakes himself awake and looks around. Amanda is unconscious beside him. Despite the pain in his neck, he looks behind him. His friends are slowly coming back to themselves as well. Roberto doesn't waste any time, as darkness grows over his arms. He tears the car door off and climbs out. He stands carefully on the toppled car, and tears off the door on Sam's side as well, before helping him out.

  
Dani has trouble shaking the pain and confusion away. She can feel sticky blood trickling from her hand and forehead. Her vision is still very blurred, but she can feel a hand on her shoulder, trying to bring her back to reality.

  
"Dani, come on, we have to get out of here."

  
Rahne continues to grip her shoulder until she's sure Dani can make it out on her own. Fortunately, Roberto holds out his hand and helps her out. Once the sun hits her face more fully, her vision clarifies, and her disorientation subsides. At the back of the car, Rahne gives two strong kicks to the window, and it falls off, allowing her to crawl out. Sam unbuckles Amanda and pulls her out of the wreck.

  
There's a flash of light behind them, like a colorful sun flare every time Illyana's blade meets the woman's.

  
"We need to get out here," Sam says.

  
Roberto helps him carry Amanda's body behind the car. When Dani climbs off the car, the pain in her hand and forehead come to the forefront of her mind.

  
"You're bleeding," Rahne says as she wraps her arms around her and almost pulls her behind the car.

  
"I'm okay..." Dani says as the last of the fuzz seeps out of her brain, replaced by the string of pain.

  
Roberto glances over the car. Illyana is fighting as well as she can, but the woman has no problem matching her beat for beat.

  
"This is bad. We gotta run."

  
Beside them, Sam has managed to wake Amanda up. While she's still confused, he says:

  
"We're sorry, but you have to run, now, before it's too late."

  
Amanda doesn't protest, she simply stands up and runs back to the farm without another word, still dazed by the car flip.

* * *

Illyana has never fought combatants of her skill level. She's self-taught, but then again not many things can resist a single swing of her sword. The demon bear was one thing. This woman is another completely. She has the training Illyana wishes she had. And she has telekinesis. Illyana first notices it when her sword should have made contact with her neck, but at the last second, the blade is deviated and meets the air.

  
"You cheater," Illyana swears.

  
So she doesn't hesitate to cheat too. When the blade licked by purple energy comes a bit too close once or twice, she teleports out of the way and reappears behind the woman. There's a moment when she thinks she has her, but another blade comes to stop hers, a shorter one, made out of pure energy. Illyana wishes she could get Lockheed's help, but she knows she can't retreat to Limbo for too long to get him, or else the woman might turn her attention to the others.

  
Illyana takes a step back, assessing the situation again. She wishes she had two swords, or a bigger one, something that could cleave the woman in half and be done with it. She takes a deep breath as she struggles to bring air into her lungs.

  
"I hope you're ready... Because I'm only just starting with you."

  
Illyana charges. She swings her sword down, and the energy blades come to counter her blade. The katana is thrust forward, but she sidesteps it. She pulls her sword away and manages to slice through the woman's suit. Blood trickles down the woman's arm and she winces back. Illyana smirks with satisfaction. She doesn't waste any time, and attacks again. Suddenly, she finds her body locked into place.

* * *

The others are still hidden behind the car, debating whether to run or attack, when the sound of fighting stops. Roberto looks over the car, only to see Illyana locked into place, surrounded by purple tendrils of energy.

  
"Illy!"

  
He jumps out from behind his cover and doesn't think. His entire body heats up, burning through his clothes. His skin turns blacker than the night, and daylight seems to bend around him. His hands are burning with the need to do something. They've never burned like that before. He trusts his instincts. He holds out his hands. Two rays of blinding light join into one as they hit the mysterious woman. She tumbles back. Illyana is quick to teleport away from the heat rays. When she reappears, she's falling above the woman, her sword out. The blade pierces through the woman's belly. As she pulls the blade out, blood pools out of the wound. The woman's breathing becomes labored, as she tries to get back up. Illyana's foot on her chest sends her back to the ground.

  
"Not so good after all, are you?"

  
Illyana would have watched and waited until the light has left the woman's eyes until she's sure that every drop of life has left her body, but Sam calls her back:

  
"Illy, come on, we have to go before more arrive."

  
Illyana turns around. Roberto has already disappeared into the tall grass, probably looking for something to cover himself with. Dani is leaning on Rahne, her wounded hand held close to her chest. Sam is waiting at the edge of the road for her. She glances back down at the woman under her foot.

  
"If somehow you make it, tell your superiors they better leave us be, or there will be more blood."

  
She lets the sword disappear out of her hand, and walks away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope all of you who've been asking for more Roberto using his powers are satisfied that he has unlocked heat rays! More will be coming later in the story, don't worry.  
> The writing has been progressing nicely, I should be done by the end of the week (if I don't add more chapters again). And then I've been thinking about maybe writing an AU or two. I love AUs, usually, I prefer them because you can be looser with the continuity, and the continuity of the X-men movies is a mess that I wouldn't mind playing very loose with... So if you have any suggestions, AUs that I could look into. I haven't had the time to see how many more New Mutants stories have been added to the site. Are people writing High School AUs yet or we haven't broken to that stage of the fandom yet?  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	13. Favorite Terrain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens run to hide deep in the forest, until even they aren't sure where they are anymore.

They run until they're sure no one is following them, and then they run some more. They cross the field of tall grass to a farm where Rahne, in dog form, steals clothes for Roberto. They disappear in a field of corn higher than them. For a moment, they can only see each other through the small gaps in the leaves. When they emerge out, it's to cross a dirt road and continue through another field of corn.

  
Rahne is the first to hear the forest. The sound of cicadas dulls, replaced by that of birds and squirrels. She reaches for Dani's hand and pulls her through the corn. Hand in hand they make their way toward the forest, prompting the others to follow them. They emerge out of the field and in front of a chicken fence, keeping the access to a vast, dark forest. Illyana has no trouble cutting through the fence. One after the other, they carefully crawl through the fence and vanish into the woods.

  
Rahne stays in the lead, using her heightened senses to stir them away from civilization. They move deeper and deeper into the forest, and the light becomes greener, filtered only through the foliage. There is no path, only wild bushes trying to keep them back. For a while, they climb in silence. They move higher and higher over a hill, with no idea of how high they are or how isolated. There's the lingering fear that if they stop, Essex will catch up to them.

  
They reach a small cliff, where large boulders form a sort of staircase downward. Under them, more forest spreads over the mountains, all the way to the horizon. The sun is now high above them, and the ground is dark, obscured by the shadows of the trees. A single concrete road cuts through the valley, like a black piece of tape in a sea of green.

  
They pause there, by the edge of the cliff, wondering who will dare to go down first. There's dry blood on Illyana's neck, where a blade has scraped against her skin. Dani is no longer disoriented. The blood on her forehead and her hand has dried, but there are still small pieces of glass embedded in her skin that she hasn't dare to pull out yet.

  
They stare over the edge, and Rahne decides:

  
"I'll make sure it's stable enough."

  
Dani doesn't protest, simply squeezes her hand before letting go. Rahne seats at the edge of the cliff and takes a deep breath. Then, she pushes herself off. She lands at the top of the pile, on a large, smooth bolder where moss has already begun to grow. It doesn't tremble under her as she lands. Satisfied with its solidity, she searches for her next step down. She climbs down onto a stone to her left. It wobbles slightly as she puts some weight on it. She stills. She waits. She releases a breath when the rock doesn't tumble, or heaven forbids, makes the whole pile topple in its fall.

  
"Maybe avoid this one," she says as she looks up.

  
The others are standing by the edge of the cliff and staring down at her. She attempts a smile then gets back to work. She climbs over a few smaller boulders which afford her a good grip. She minds her feet on the moss, careful not to slip. When she's low enough she jumps off and lands lightly on the ground. She rubs her hands together, cleaning them as best as she can, and looks back up again. Her friends are fifty feet above her, still staring.

  
"You can come down," she shouts. "But one at a time and mind your steps. It's slippery."

  
She watches as Dani sits by the edge and imitates her, letting herself fall from the edge and lands on the top-most boulder. From the bottom of the cliff, Rahne guides her:

  
"Try this one instead of the one I took, I think it's steadier."

  
Dani carefully climbs off the boulder, to the one below in front of her. Rahne doesn't realize she's holding her breath until Dani's feet land on the rock and it doesn't wobble. Dani relays the information to the others, who are still staring down. Then, she begins her climb down, following as closely as she can the path Rahne took. She takes a bit more time, mostly because of the wound in her hand. The lightest of pressure digs the pieces of glass deeper, and the cold stone over her wounds stings. This means she's essentially climbing using her good hand and the tip of her fingers. This is not enough to catch her when she steps on a patch of moss and her foot slips. Fortunately, she was only a few feet from the bottom, and Rahne is here to catch her. At least she tries, and Dani falls into her arms and sends them both down onto the ground.

  
"Are you alright?" Rahne asks worriedly.

  
Dani starts to laugh.

  
"It's the second time you've stopped me from falling in as many weeks," she says in between two chuckles.

  
Rahne allows herself a sigh of relief, which turns into a laugh of its own.

  
"I mean, this is different, but you're welcome."

  
Dani stands up and helps Rahne back to her feet. Then, she looks up at the group and shouts:

  
"We're okay. The next one can go down."

  
Sam takes his turn, following beat by beat where Dani stepped. He, too, struggles with his grip due to his cast, but he's slower and even more careful than Dani, so he makes it down without trouble. Roberto goes next, carelessly jumping from boulder to boulder and scaling down swiftly. He almost falls or loses his balance on multiple occasions, and somehow he makes it to the bottom.

  
"Showoff," Rahne says.

  
"I've gone rock climbing a bunch of times when I was younger. This is nothing."

  
Illyana has already begun her descent. She is as careless as Roberto, except that she climbs carefully until she's at the perfect height.

  
"Oops, I'm slipping."

  
She lets herself go. Roberto reacts just quickly enough to catch her in his arms. She jumps out of his grasp with a glare.

  
"You should have let me fall," she says.

  
"What? You just said you were slipping!"

  
"I was not."

  
Still confused, Roberto watches her walk away.

* * *

With Rahne's guidance, they find a small stream running downhill. The water is cold and probably shouldn't be drunk, but Illyana doesn't care. She rubs at the scratch on her neck until all the dry blood is gone, then drinks.

  
"Maybe you shouldn't..." Roberto starts but it's too late, so he doesn't bother to finish his sentence.

  
Dani seats by the steam and tries to clean her hand, but she winces every time her hand so much as touches the water.

  
"Here, let me."

  
Rahne sits in front of her and takes her hand in hers. There are four remaining tiny pieces of glass in her palm, which probably got there when she tries to push herself upright without realizing the window beside her had exploded. Gently, with two claws, Rahne extracts the pieces. More blood pours out of the wound. She lets it trickle down the stream, but doesn't wash it away yet. Then, Rahne leans forward and takes the two pieces still sticking out of Dani's forehead. She worries for a moment that they might be too deep, but not much blood falls out once she's pulled them out, so she figures it's probably fine.

  
"We should probably find some bandages," Rahne says when she looks at Dani's crimson red palm.

  
"We need a whole lot more than bandages," Roberto notes. "I don't know about you but I'm hungry and thirsty."

  
"But we don't have a cent," Sam replies.

  
"So what?" Illyana says. "You've never stolen before?"

  
The others vaguely shrug. Illyana brushes her wet hands on her pants' legs, then stands up and says with a smirk:

  
"Next gas station we find, we're gonna have a bit of fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Be excited because that gas station scene is going to be a real highlight of the story, I think.  
> Discussions concerning a ship name for Dani and Rahne have been happening in the comments, and so far the popular vote is on MoonWolf, which is also the one I favor. So a big thank you to DarthMatthew for coming up with it! Now if you don't like MoonWolf his other suggestions were StarRahne and MoonRahne. There's also ClairMoon, suggested by Animelvr975, which is apparently the ship name used by comic book fans. I like both ClairMoon and MoonWolf, but feel free to offer other suggestions or debate (politely) about it in the comments. Any of these names is better than my initial idea of Dahne, because I suck at finding ship names...  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	14. Operation Gas Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon finding a gas station, the teens come up with a plan to steal some food.

They don't find any gas station until late into the afternoon. They followed the concrete road while staying hidden in the forest and struggling to get past, sometimes having to make a detour to get through, but losing the road for a while. There aren't many cars driving by, which doesn't make it easy for Rahne to find the road again whenever they lose sight of it. But finally, they find a gas station, a decrepit building with extremely stained windows, and barely a car parked by.

  
A plan is devised. Everyone focuses on getting a certain thing out, while Rahne, in her dog form, distracts the cashier. It seems like a solid plan. Get in, get the things, and get out. The guy behind the counter can try to stop one of them, but he won't be able to stop all five of them at once. They each have a list of the things they need to get memorized. Once they are sure their plan is failure-proof, Illyana leaves the bushes and walks across the street.

  
As she steps in, a fake bell rings above her head. The cashier barely glances up from his magazine. He's a middle-aged man who looks like he's been there since he was old enough to be hired. The red vest he's wearing, with a name-tag pinned to it, is covered with grease and coffee stains and crumbs. He's reading a hunting magazine, giving tricks and tips about duck hunting this fall.

  
Illyana starts innocently wandering through the shelves. She grabs a handful of chocolate bars and stuffs them in her jacket pocket. After a furtive glance at the clerk, she's in the clear and begins wandering again.

  
A few moments later, the second step of their plan falls into motion. Dani walks in with Rahne hot on her hills. While Dani moves away from the counter, Rahne goes to it, whining softly. This gets the clerk's attention quickly. He looks up from his magazine at the dog, then at Dani who's the first to enter his field of vision.

  
"Hey! Is this yours?" he asks loudly.

  
Dani frowns and shakes her head.

  
"No. It was waiting outside, I thought it was yours."

  
The man's eyes narrow as he continues to stare at her. Dani looks away, but she can still feel the man's gaze on her. She has a sinking feeling the plan is going to fail miserably, or at the very least that this man is not going to let her execute her side of the plan as easily as they would have hoped.

  
Roberto and Sam walk in together, talking about everything and nothing. Rahne continued to whine by the counter, but the man doesn't seem to want to bother for a dog. She walks over to Dani, and Dani can tell from a single look into her eyes that she's asking what she should do now. Dani wants to talk with her, but she feels the man's gaze on her again, so she weakly shoos the dog away. Rahne whines softly than moves to Illyana. The blonde has already collected most of what she was supposed to get, stuffing her pockets with chocolate bars, a map, matches, and stuffing a 'lost in the woods' emergency pack in the waistband of her pants. She looks for a first-aid kit on the shelves but doesn't find it, not until she looks at the counter and sees the red kit hanging on a hook over the man's shoulders. She takes a deep breath and decides to go for it.

  
Sam is stuffing water bottles in the backpack Roberto is holding open for him when they hear Illyana's voice echo in the shop. They freeze and glance at Dani, who has a large bag of chips in her hand and is hiding a box of cookies against her side. She's as surprised as they are.

  
"Give me the kit," Illyana says as she stands by the counter. They can all see how full her pockets are, and the bag of emergency supplies poking out of her pants like a second tail, Lockheed secured in its usual pants pocket.

  
The man places his magazine open on the table beside him. His eyes zero in on Dani for a moment, before looking down at Illyana. He hasn't noticed the boys yet. His gaze scans Illyana's face longly, taking in her cold demeanor, and he smiles.

  
"I could get it for you if you ask me with a please and a smile."

  
Rahne has come to stand beside Illyana. The nervousness she was already feeling turns to full-on worry as the man leers up and down Illyana's body, or at least what he can see from his position.

  
"I asked for the first-aid kit," Illyana repeats.

  
"And I'm telling you you're not getting anything until you smile. Just give me one smile, and it's yours for the low price of $19.99."

  
Rahne is so worried Illyana might just kill the man and take what she wants that she barks, trying to attract her friend's attention. Instead, the clerk looks her way, and inevitably his eyes find Dani, just as she placing a torch lamp in the waistband of her pants.

  
"Hey!"

  
The man stands up and rounds the counter quickly. Dani is near the door, but she doesn't think about running, instead she finds herself petrified by fear. Before she can escape the man gets a hold of her arm and tries to drag her back to the counter.

  
"I knew I should have called the police as soon as you came in! That's all you people are good for, thieving and feeling our prisons!"

  
The man's sticky fingers around her arm snap her out of her fear. Dani takes as much of a run-up as she can, and kicks the man's knee. He lets her go with a yelp and she steps back. Unfortunately, he's now standing between her and the door.

  
"Hey."

  
The clerk turns around, just in time to receive Sam's charged-up punch to the face. The man flies onto the nearest shelf and topples it, falling over a sea of bags of chips. They wait, holding their breaths, and when he doesn't stand up, their shoulders relax.

  
"You okay?" Sam asks Dani.

  
She's rubbing her hand over where the man had been holding her, which she hopes won't leave a bruise behind.

  
"Yeah, I'm okay."

  
Illyana zips out of the door, having stuffed both the first-aid kit and all the money she could get out of the cash register in her over-filled pockets. The others exchange a few glances, then quickly take the remaining of the things they were supposed to loot and run. Rahne follows a large bag of marshmallows between her teeth.

  
They disappear through the woods where they'd come from, and run as quickly as they can without losing anything. Dani drops a bag of cookies and stops to get it, but Roberto picks it up as he passes and stuffs it in the backpack strapped to his chest. They run and run until they're out of breath.

  
They stop amongst the trees, and finally, Rahne dares to shift back to her human form. The others lean and sit against the nearest trees, their breathing labored and their pockets full.

  
"Oh no," Rahne starts, "I just robbed a gas station. I'm going to hell for robbing a gas station."

  
"Well, at least we're all going to hell together," Sam replies with a smile.

  
Rahne laughs, and despite their need to breathe, the others start laughing too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Writing this chapter made me realize that I don't know how to write a misogynist racist character, but it's okay if he came out a bit cartoony, because I'm sure everyone was happy to see him getting punched.  
> I've been thinking about an AU that I could write next, my problem is that as I was coming up with the story it turned into another 'on the run' sort of story, which I wouldn't mind avoiding if possible (even if the situations would be completely different). So I'll keep on thinking for now.  
> Anyway, I know everyone is going to love tomorrow's chapter and I can't wait to share it with you! See you tomorrow!


	15. Campfire and Marshmallows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens settle around a campfire for the night and eat their stolen goods.

They walk until the forest is dark, and they are sure they are far enough from the gas station that no one would follow them. They clear a small space for themselves and set out to make a campfire. Dani is bandaged up and Illyana allows Rahne to place a single bandaid on her cut. Sam and Dani clear out space without grass and bushes and dead leaves while they send the others to collect branches. A hole is dug in the dirt, and the various dead branches are places in with a few dead leaves. While Illyana pulls the matchbox out of her pocket, Roberto acts more swiftly and places his hand over the pile of wood. Darkness creeps over his hand up to his wrist, and the heat lights the campfire.

  
"Showoff," Illyana grumbles as she stashes the matches back into her pocket.

  
Dinner is a mix of the few small cans Dani managed to snatch, cooked into the fire, and chips. Conversations flow easily between them. While the adrenaline of the heist has left their bodies, the memories are still fresh. Rahne is seating as close to Dani as she can without being on her lap, leaned against her shoulder. Illyana is using the light of the flashlight Roberto is holding for her to count the money she stole, and she glares at him every time he moves, making the beam of light tremble.

  
"I can't believe you charged your fist before decking him," Dani says as she takes the bag of chips Rahne is handing her.

  
"I didn't even realize I did," Sam admits.

  
"He completely deserved it," Roberto says as he leans to his side, grabbing chips out of the bag Dani is holding and quickly getting back into place as he feels Illyana glaring at him.

  
He stuffs his mouth with the handful he got, chews, then washes it down with a sip of water from one of the bottles they stole.

  
"Do you think we're gonna be front-page news?" he asks.

  
The others shrug.

  
"Maybe that way the X-men will know we're in trouble," Rahne says.

  
"You really want to join the X-men?" Roberto asks.

  
"Not join them, really, but like... we can't be on the run forever, right?"

  
Illyana's movements still, and while she doesn't look at the group, she listens more closely.

  
"What would be your superhero name then?" Roberto asks.

  
Illyana continues to count the money.

  
"I don't know," Rahne replies with a shrug.

  
There's a moment of silence, punctuated by the crackling of the burning wood. Finally, Roberto says:

  
"Super wolf."

  
"What?"

  
"What, you don't like it?"

  
The four of them dissolve into laughter. Illyana looks up at Roberto but doesn't glare, per se, simply waits until he's done laughing to finish counting the piles of change.

  
"It's a really bad name," Sam says, brushing a stray tear out of his eye.

  
"Okay, Kentucky, find us a better one."

  
"For Rahne?"

  
Roberto nods, and Sam looks at the redhead. Rahne can almost see in his eyes the cogs turning as he desperately tries to come up with something better.

  
"I don't know... Fleabag?"

  
Rahne lets out an indignant chuckle, while Dani tries to hold in her laughter. The boys don't have such restrain and laugh loudly.

  
"How dare you! I don't have fleas!"

  
She picks up the nearby bag of marshmallows and throws it at Sam. He catches it easily and pulls the seam apart. The smell of powdered sugars fills the air. Rahne looks at Dani, who's taken a deep breath to try and calm herself. She pouts.

  
"It's not funny, it's not even a good superhero name."

  
Dani places a kiss on Rahne's cheek.

  
"I'll find you a good superhero name," Dani promises.

  
She falls silent for a moment, thinking. The boys are waiting expectantly.

  
"Wolfsbane."

  
There are some nods of approval, even a whistle from Roberto, who seems impressed by the name.

  
"Wait, hold on," Rahne asks. "Isn't wolfsbane the thing that kills wolf? It doesn't really make sense."

  
"Who cares," Roberto says, "it's cool. You think Cyclops makes sense? He doesn't have one eye, it's just his glasses that are like that."

  
Roberto stands up, picks up one of the discarded branches for the fire, a long, thin twig, and he places it over Rahne's shoulders like a king naming a knight.

  
"I dubbed thee Wolfsbane."

  
He seats back down and when he glances at Illyana, expecting her to be glaring at him. She's picking up all the money and stuffing it back in her pocket. He turns off the flashlight and sets it beside him, then grabs a marshmallow from the bag and sticks it at the end of his twig, placing it over the fire.

  
"What about you then? Super Sun?" Rahne asks.

  
Roberto chuckles.

  
"That's a good name and you know it."

  
The others shake their heads.

  
"It's really not," Sam replies.

  
"Okay, then, find a better one. I dare you."

  
One after the others, they start muttering names.

  
"Sun..."

  
"Sunflower?"

  
"Sunfire?"

  
"Sun Lord?"

  
"Doctor Sun?"

  
"Solar?"

  
Finally, Illyana's voice breaks through the mess.

  
"Sunspot."

  
Roberto nods.

  
"Sunspot. I like it."

  
He takes his marshmallow out of the fire and pulls it off the stick before stuffing it in his mouth, not even bothered by the heat of the treat.

  
"What about you, Illy? Superhero name?"

  
Before any of them can think of something, she replies:

  
"Magik."

  
The others nod in approval, except Roberto.

  
"Really? Just Magik? Not something like Limbo Slayer or Darkchild, something that brings fear in the heart of your enemies?"

  
"People will come to fear that name."

  
Roberto sticks another marshmallow on his stick with a smile.

  
"Yeah, I bet they are."

  
He looks over at Sam and Dani.

  
"Who's next? Sam?"

  
Sam shrugs, biting into a marshmallow.

  
"Sure, why not."

  
"Cannonball," Rahne says instantly, with a mocking grin on her face.

  
Again, Sam shrugs.

  
"I don't care. Call me cannonball all you want."

  
"Great. Now Dani."

  
Dani holds her breath as the others look at her as if trying to come up with a good superhero name.

  
"I mean, Moonstar is already a pretty nice superhero name," Roberto says as he pulls his marshmallow out of the fire, and offers it to Illyana.

  
"What kind of an alias is my last name?" Dani replies.

  
"Mirage," Rahne suggests.

  
The rest of the group remains unconvinced.

  
"I mean, for mirages, they're pretty fucking real," Roberto says, still holding the stick for Illyana while she struggles to get the melted treat off the stick.

  
After another moment of thinking, Rahne comes up with another name.

  
"Angel."

  
The three others roll their eyes.

  
"What?"

  
"We said superhero name, not pet name," Illyana replies as she gives up on the marshmallow entirely, brushing the stick back to Roberto.

  
"Plus, I'm pretty sure there's already been an Angel," Sam adds.

  
"And this one actually had wings," Roberto continues, as he pulls the marshmallow off the stick.

  
"Dark Rider," Illyana suggests.

  
Dani purses her lips thoughtfully. Roberto hands Illyana the cooked marshmallow. She takes it without another word.

  
"I don't know, guys... I mean, some of these are pretty nice, but with my powers and all, I doubt I'd make a good X-men anyway."

  
Rahne gives her a comforting squeeze of the hand. Roberto sighs and stands up, leaving his stick on the ground beside him.

  
"I'll be right back."

  
He disappears into the woods, while the others still try to come up with a name for Dani.

  
"How about Valkyrie?" Rahen suggests.

  
"Maybe something more related to nightmares," Dani says.

  
"Nightmare," Illyana replies.

  
A cries echoes in the woods, and the teens all jump to their feet. Illyana's sword appears in her hand with unmatched swiftness. Sam, still holding the bag of marshmallows, reaches for the flashlight previously discarded.

  
"'Berto? Are you okay?" Rahne calls.

  
After exchanging a glance with the others, Sam decides:

  
"We're coming, alright?"

  
They move together as one into the shrubberies, until they find Roberto leaning against a tree, trying to calm himself. When he hears the others coming he turns around and shakes his head.

  
"It's fine... I'm okay... Just..."

  
Sam points the flashlight a few feet away, through the bushes, until it lands on a grey-furred critter. A raccoon is standing just two feet away from them on its back legs. Laughter echoes in the quiet woods and Roberto flushes with embarrassment.

  
"Oh come on! I didn't have a light! All I saw was its eyes."

  
Sam hands the torch lamp to Dani and pulls a marshmallow out of the bag, before tossing it to the raccoon. It lands right in front of the critter, who picks it up and walks away hurriedly.

  
"We better be careful tonight," Sam warns as the group turns around to return to the campfire, "or we'll have our own thieves to fight off."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This was the long-awaited superhero names conversation, so I hope you guys enjoyed it!  
> As you may have noticed I had to up the numbers of chapters again, to 40 this time. The ending is going to take longer than I planned. In the view of finishing to write the story before school starts again, I've also started writing 3 chapters a day instead of 2 so updates will come later in the morning because of that.  
> Fun fact, all the names suggested for Roberto's superhero names are real Marvel characters. Even Sunflower, who's a real sunflower with muscles? Because why not.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you tomorrow for the beginning of a new arc which has me very excited!


	16. Astroport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While rain forces the teens to move, they find the perfect place to hide.

Rahne is awakened by thunder rolling in the distance. Above them, the sky is gray. The air is electric and wet, it makes her nose itch. She disentangles herself from Dani's grasp and sits up. The fire is dead, and tiny plumes of smoke are still rising from it. Illyana is curled up on her side, Lockheed tucked under her chin. Sam is on his back, the backpack tugged under his head like a pillow. Roberto is on his belly, his face looking toward Illyana.

  
A single drop of water falls on Rahne's face, announcing many more. She lightly checks Dani awake.

  
"Come on, it's gonna rain. We have to go."

  
Dani groans and rolls onto her back, struggling to get open her eyes. Rahne stands up. She picks up the discarded flashlight beside Sam and stuffs it in her pocket. She's shaking Sam awake when the few drops of water become many, heavy and cold as they fall on them. Illyana's eyes fly open, and for a moment, she stares into the open sky, and the rain falling above them. Roberto rolls onto his side as if it would make the rain avoid him. The rain becomes louder, as it hits the vegetation around them.

  
"We gotta find shelter," Rahne says as she helps a still-half asleep Sam to his feet.

  
Dani stands with a yawn, and it takes every ounce of willpower for Roberto to get up. After one last glance around the campsite for any forgotten items, they are on the run again.

* * *

The rain stops almost as swiftly as it has come, but the sky remains a dangerous shade of dark, one which promises more rain. The teens don't stop. They continue to walk, barely sparing time to exchange a few chocolate bars for breakfast before being on their way again. Rahne hasn't heard any signs of civilization in hours, not a single car for miles around. So it comes as quite a surprise when they suddenly find themselves facing a chicken fence.

  
What's left of the fence is rusted metal, rising eight feet from the ground, trapped within thick branches of ivy. This vegetal wall is so thick that it's impossible to see what lies on the other side. Still, this doesn't deter Roberto, as he scales up the wet ivy fence. They can hear his feet landing on soaked concrete on the other side.

  
"Holy shit, guys, get over here!"

  
After sharing a glance, the others climb after him. Upon reaching the top of the fence, a Ferris wheel comes into view. Then roller-coasters. Then a wall painted with hundreds of thousands of stars, dozens of planets, and spaceships over a night sky background. Finally, a front gate, a metallic-looking arch with a spaceship on top, and the name 'Astroport' in beautiful curving letters.

  
They land on concrete. A parking lot, on the other side of the road from the amusement park. Both are nestled into the forest, surrounded by wet trees. Though the road continues past the park, not a car can be seen or heard on the horizon. No one has parked to enjoy a rainy day at the Astroport.

  
"Maybe it's closed for the day," Roberto suggests.

  
"In the middle of summer?" Sam replies. "No way. I think it's abandoned."

  
The teens cross the street and walk up to the entrance of the park. There are metal fences there, making an entrance queue. Some of the bars have either fallen off or forcefully been pulled off. Rahne, Dani, and Sam try to make their way through, while Roberto and Illyana jump above and under. There are two booths at the entrance of the park. The metal gate has been shut on one, but the other still seems open, the door leading in and out hanging ajar. Access to the park is restricted by turnstiles. The teens jump above.

  
Illyana goes searching inside of the open booth. She doesn't find any money but finds a dusty pack of maps probably forgotten there, and a box filled with commemorative pins for the Astroport's fifteenth anniversary. She hands the box of pins to Sam and flips open one of the maps.

  
The park is big for its location, with two amphitheaters, a Ferris wheel, a walk-through haunted house, an inside roller-coaster, four outside ones, and quite a few stands, shops, and smaller rides. There's an entire zone dedicated to children under the age of ten, with less fear-inducing attractions. There's a drop tower, swings forbidden to children under fourteen, and an entire schedule of space-themed shows, some educational, some entertaining.

  
As Sam passes pins around, they all huddle around the map, eyes filled with stars. Of all the abandoned places that they could find to hide, this certainly wasn't the one they had in mind.

  
"Let's go."

  
Illyana folds the map back and takes the pin Sam is handing to her, and she places it carefully on Lockheed. Then she hands out her hand for another one to pin on her jacket. Dani takes another map out of the booth and sticks it in her pocket.

  
The groups begin to make their way into the park, walking along a mural representing the advancements of humanity and space, from the Greek goddess Artemis to a space colony on the moon – this one they'd all yet to see. The path then separates into two sides, one going to the left toward one of the big roller-coasters, while the other goes toward one of the theaters, and a rocket spinner themed to rockets and planets. The path is colored light blue, with bright yellow stars, like a river with star-shaped stones floating through it.

  
Illyana pulls out her plan again, then decides:

  
"Let's go to the Supernova."

  
While Dani takes a few steps to follow her friends, Rahne holds her back by her sleeve. Dani stops and turns around. She waits patiently for Rahne to talk, as the redhead seems to be struggling with her words.

  
"Go on a date with me?" Rahne finally asks.

  
Dani smiles brightly.

  
"Right now? Here?"

  
"Why not? You'd said it'd be fun, and this is an amusement park."

  
Dani doesn't even have the time to reply before Rahne already starts backtracking out of her proposal:

  
"I mean, if you don't to, it's okay. We don't have to... Just ignore I said anything..."

  
Dani takes Rahne's hand in hers and leans forward, kissing her silent.

  
"I'd love to go on a date with you."

  
Rahne lets out a breath of relief and smiles.

  
"Hey lovebirds, you coming or what?" Roberto shouts as the three others stand near the entrance of the queue for the Supernova.

  
"We'll go the other way," Dani shouts back. "Let's just meet at the Ferris wheel."

  
Since neither Sam nor Illyana seems to have any problems with it, Roberto replies:

  
"Okay!"

  
"Try not to destroy your side of the park!"

  
"Only if you don't destroy yours!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So as you might have guessed the next location the group is gonna spend a lot of time at is this abandoned amusement park, because why not?  
> Astroport doesn't exist, or if it does then I have some kind of superpower. It's a combination between two major inspirations and a few attractions that actually existed at various parks, so you might recognize a few names if you're a park fan like I am.  
> The two major influences are :  
> 1\. The amusement park near where I live for a few elements, mostly the entrance and the parking across the road to the park (it's as dangerous as it sounds). But this park is themed to cowboys and the Far West.  
> 2\. For thematic and aesthetic inspirations, I took those from a fake park, Galactic Zone in Nuka World from the game Fallout 4. And like I said before, a few rides and attractions the kids go through will be inspired either by rides that don't exist anymore, or concepts of rides that were never made.  
> Anyway, tomorrow we're starting with Dani and Rahne's date (I flipped a coin to know who we would follow first and it was them) so tune in for some fluff!


	17. Alien Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While looking around the park, Rahne and Dani find a way inside a spooky attraction

Dani and Rahne take the path to the right. It circles a massive display on the ground, a giant mosaic bowl representing the constellations in the northern hemisphere sky. Grass has grown through the cracks, and dirt and brown water have accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. On their right is the entrance to a large show building, one of the two theaters. The horizon of an alien planet is painted on it, with the name 'The Martian Theater' hung over the doors.

  
Dani and Rahne are walking side by side, in silence. Neither of them can come up with something to talk about. Although they've been glued to the hip for the past few days, and have been alone together before, awkwardness permeates the air between them. Nervousness is tickling their ribs every time they breathe. It's their first official date.

  
After a moment, they hear a shout echo around the empty park. They look to their left, only to see their friends scaling the slope of a roller coaster. Roberto is waving at them, but they can barely see him.

  
"What are they doing up there?" Rahne asks.

  
"Probably just trying to get a nice view of the park."

  
Dani turns to look at Rahne. Their eyes meet, and Rahne looks away with a slight, embarrassed chuckle.

  
"Why don't we try to get into the theater?" Dani suggests. "Could be some things interesting left inside."

  
Rahne shrugs.

  
"Sure."

  
They leave the main path and stop in front of the double doors to the theater. They are decorated to look like the doors of an alien civilization, but the plastic on one of them has been busted. There is no handle, so Dani tries pushing. The doors hold, locked from the inside.

  
"Tough luck. Maybe another one of the buildings is open."

  
Without thinking, Dani takes Rahne's hand in hers and they return to the main path. Rahne's hand is clammier than usual unless it's her hand that is clammier than usual. Dani isn't sure, so she doesn't mention it. Instead, she asks:

  
"Have you ever been to an amusement park?"

  
Rahne shakes her head.

  
"No. This is my first. Not a lot of those where I come from, and even if there was, I doubt my father would have..."

  
She stops herself, but Dani understands the meaning.

  
"I've never been to one either," she replies. "I almost went, once. My dad had been saving for months to take me, but right then, the car broke down. And without the car to get us there..."

  
"It's sad."

  
Dani shrugs.

  
"I like it here. I mean, look, we have the park all to ourselves, and we didn't even have to pay."

  
Rahne chuckles. Silence settles between them, and Rahne looks around them. They've just passed the entrance for an indoor roller-coaster called the 'Disaster Transport'. The building looks like a sci-fi version of an airport, with automatic doors leading inside. Unfortunately for them, a metal gate has been shut in front of the doors, preventing them from getting inside, even if they broke the glass doors.

  
Just after passing a food concession where the ice cream sign has been toppled and its letters wained by the sun, they pass near a building that looks like a spaceship. Rahne stops as she glances to the side of the building, partly hidden behind the concession. It looks like there's an open door there.

  
"Want to check it out?" she asks.

  
Dani follows her gaze, then nods with a smile. Together, they walk around the ice cream stand and into an area that was probably considered restricted. There's a metal door on the side of the building, and it's ajar. Rahne pulls it open, and it complies with a whine. After a glance at each other and a smile, they step inside.

  
They find themselves in a dark room with many panels and switches, and a switchboard where the many labels glued there have fallen off with time. 

  
"Do you think it still works?"

  
There's a master switch on the side, and Rahne gets a hold of it.

  
"Only one way to find out."

  
She flips the master switch. They wait, holding their breath, for any sign from the switchboard. Only silence echoes in the building.

  
"Guess not..."

  
Dani lets go of Rahne's hand. With the very faint gray light coming from outside, she can find the handle to another door. She pushes it open. It's pitch dark on the other side, and it smells of dust and oil. Rahne passes her head through as well, then sneezes.

  
"It's really dusty in here..."

  
"What do you see?" Dani asks.

  
"It looks like the inside of a spaceship."

  
Dani wishes she could see in the dark too, but soon enough, Rahne produces the flashlight from her pocket and hands it to her.

  
"Here, look."

  
The beam of light turns the dust floating in the air into silver flakes, suspended in time. It does look like the inside of a spaceship, with a metallic walkway surrounded by plastic walls. When Dani steps out of the backroom and onto the walkway, the sound of her footsteps echoes into the ship.

  
"It looks so real," Rahne says as she follows Dani into the ship, and passes a hand over dust-covered walls.

  
Their voices bounce into the empty corridors.

  
"Come on, let's see what's at the end."

  
Though Rahne can't help but feel slightly nervous, she follows Dani down the hall. The flashlight illuminates their path. The beam of light reflects on certain parts of the walls, made to look like metal panels. They follow the walkway as it curves to the left. There, they pass an opening on their right. The access if blocked off, but it looks like a lot of pipes are hidden back there, and there are soot marks.

  
"I think it's some sort of haunted spaceship," Dani says after they've been walking for a few minutes, following the path.

  
"Maybe it's a good thing the power didn't turn back on, then."

  
They arrive near another curve, the left wall turns into a window. On the other side, they can see a fake lab, with mannequins dressed as scientists. Most of them are either dead in a pool of nail polish looking blood or being attacked by small, alien-looking puppets. They can see the metal bars supposed to make the aliens move and attack the scientists.

  
"Definitely very glad that the power didn't turn on," Rahne confirms.

  
They continue on their way, and Dani begins to wonder just really how long this walkway is until she sees Rahne stop and frown.

  
"There's something at the end of the tunnel," she says.

  
Dani, who'd mostly been pointing the flashlight to the ground in front of them, asks:

  
"What?"

  
She lifts the beam and screams. A massive alien is standing behind a metal grid, just at the end of the path. Its sharp claws are trying to tear at the grid, while its lips are retracted, showing off its fangs. Dani lets out a long breath, trying to calm herself. Rahne is holding her shoulder, looking down at her with worry.

  
"Are you okay?"

  
"Yeah... I just got scared..."

  
When Dani's heart stops trying to escape be ribcage, she stands back up and points the light to the animatronic again.

  
"Well that was fun," she says, her voice still strained from the adrenaline. "Do you think they have a gift shop?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter was brought to you by a Disney attraction that never saw the light of day, because who actually in their right mind thought that an Alien attraction would be right at home in the happiest place on Earth? Jokes aside, I would kill for an alien attraction like that, but maybe more in carts, not a walk-through (cause then I would be too scared to ever walk through it). There was a small section of the Great Movie Ride in Disney Studios in California themed to Alien, and the Disneyworld attraction 'ExtraTERRORestrian: Alien Encounter" was also supposed to be Alien themed before they changed it. Not that any of this matters anyway now because Alien belongs to Disney now, and who knows what they'll do with it!  
> Anyway, this is only the beginning of their date, we're gonna switch back and forth between the two groups, so tomorrow is gonna be Sam, Roberto and Illyana exploring the park! I hope to see you then!


	18. On the Flip Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, Sam, Roberto and Illyana are doing some exploration of their own

The climb up the rollercoaster is at a steady incline. They follow the catwalk alongside the lift hill. The carts, four bright orange rockets, have all been stopped by the loading station. The metal tracks are still in good enough condition that nothing is missing, simply a bit wet from the morning rain.

  
They climb high enough to see above the metal roof of the loading station, then above the nearest trees. When Roberto looks over the park, he can see Rahne and Dani walking by the constellation bowl.

  
"Hey, I see them," he says excitedly as he starts waving their way. "Hey girls!" he shouts.

  
He sees them stop and look his way. Sam walks past him on the catwalk, and Roberto waits a moment to see if the girls wave back at him – they don't, or if they do they're too far for him to tell. Then, he begins walking after his friends.

  
Illyana is the first at the top, where the catwalk stops, and the tracks dip into an almost 90° angle toward the ground. The tracks then disappear underground for a moment, before emerging back out some dozens of feet away. Sam arrives shortly after. He dares to lean over the edge, just to look down.

  
"That's one hell of a drop..."

  
When Roberto finally reaches the top, he moves past Sam to take a peek over the edge.

  
"I wish I could have tried this ride," he says.

  
Illyana stands behind them, looking over the horizon. They have an almost perfect view of the park from there, all the show buildings and sleeping attractions. On the right side are mostly buildings and smaller attractions, while on the left are most of the roller-coasters. Stairs are leading up to the children's section and the Ferris wheel, from which a transparent catwalk leads to the second floor of one of the theaters, where a restaurant used to sit. There's a path going under the stairs that links back to the right side.

  
Beyond the park are trees as far as the eye can see. They've been walking through the forest for almost a day, but it feels exactly as though they haven't moved at all. They are alone in the world. If they look down into the valley, they can faintly see train tracks, only because a train is driving by, seemingly drowned in a sea of green. Gray clouds mostly cover the sky still, and darker ones are coming their way. It will rain again before the sun retires for the evening.

  
"Can I see the map?" Roberto asks once he's done taking in the sights.

  
Illyana pulls the map out of her pocket and hands it to Roberto without looking at him. On the ground, they watch as Dani and Rahne try to enter a building, only for it to be closed.

  
"There's a thing called 'The Galaxy's Market' under the stairs. Want to check it out?"

  
Sam nods. Illyana takes the map back from Roberto's hands and walks back down.

  
"Let's go."

* * *

The Galaxy's Market happens to be a series of booths on either side of the path. Some sold food and goodies while others were meant to host carnival games. Now, they're all empty. Not a balloon is left to pop, not a single tower of cans is left to topple. There's a glass box containing an alien-themed divination game waiting for a coin to come back to life.

  
Roberto jumps behind the first open booth he can find and begins riffling under the counter. Illyana does the same with the booth on the opposite side. Sam stands by the middle of the road and waits for them to find something.

  
"I got a few tokens and a... no, that's an old chewing gum..."

  
Illyana jumps back out with more tokens in her pocket and a balloon left abandoned there. As they continue on their way, searching through every booth they come across, Roberto is the first to see a door hidden between two booths. He squeezes past them, holding his breath to get through the metal frames, and ends up under the stairs. The others follow quickly behind. There's a door at a certain incline there, leading down. The door is held shut by a rusted lock, but Roberto has no trouble snapping it off, even if he hasn't seen much sunlight that day. There's a staircase leading down into some sort of concrete tunnel.

  
"Who wants to go first?" Roberto asks.

  
"Maybe I'll stay here and wait," Sam replies with a quiver in his voice.

  
"You sure?" Roberto replies.

  
His eyes find Sam's and he can see the worry in them.

  
"Alright. We'll bring you something nice."

  
Illyana goes in first and summons her sword. Blue light bounces off the unpainted cracked walls. Roberto follows behind. The stairs lead to a tunnel, which leads to another door, this one painted white and reflecting the light strongly.

  
"Are you okay?" Roberto asks in a hushed voice after they've taken a few steps into the tunnel.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"I mean you've been pretty distant these past few days."

  
"I didn't like the farm. I like it better here."

  
Roberto smiles.

  
"I like it too. I always wanted an amusement park all to myself."

  
They reach the door. It's unlocked. On the others are shelves and boxes filled with toys, shirts, and many other goodies, most of them branded with the park's logo or related to space in some way.

  
"Jackpot!" Roberto says.

  
He tries to switch the lights on and off, but it doesn't work. Instead, he has to search through the many dusty bags and shelves using the light of Illyana's blade. The blonde, too, is exploring the room, going through the boxes with a certain excitement.

  
"Hey, look."

  
Roberto pulls something out a bag and throws it to Illyana. She catches it with one hand and looks at it. It's a purple dragon plush.

  
"So you can replace Lockheed."

  
Illyana throws it back with a glare. Roberto's vision is too limited, and he doesn't avoid it in time, as the plush hits his forehead and bounces off.

  
"Lockheed is irreplaceable."

  
"No, I mean... not in that... You know what, never mind."

  
He leaves the plush where it is and doesn't touch it again, muttering under his breath about his own stupidity.

  
"Here."

  
Roberto looks up just to receive a tee-shirt on his head. He pulls it off and holds it to the light. There's the Astroport logo on it and the purple dragon mascot.

  
"Is this your size?"

  
"Sure."

  
"There's a whole shelf of it. Feel free to burn off as many clothes as you want."

  
Roberto rolls his eyes, but keep the shirt draped over his shoulder as he continues to search through the boxes. He finds a new cap for Sam, seeing as his old red one is about at the end of its life. Then, he finds drawing kits for children, with a notebook with the dragon on the cover, and a small box of color pencils.

  
"Do you want this?" Roberto asks, holding it out for Illyana to see.

  
Illyana turns around to look at the kit.

  
"I'll take it as a thank you for the tee-shirt."

  
Roberto hands it to her with a vague shrug.

  
"You can take as many as you want."

  
So Illyana does as he says, and pulls five more out of the box. Roberto doesn't say anything, only smiles.

  
Out of the door, there's a sudden shout from Sam:

  
"Guys? It's raining again, maybe we should find a better place to hide."

  
Roberto nods and shouts back:

  
"We'll be right there."

  
Illyana keeps the plastic bags close to her chest and exits the room. Roberto folds the shirt and the cap under his arm to keep them as dry as possible. Right before leaving, he picks up the discarded plush and sets it on a shelf.

  
They don't have to exit the tunnel to hear the sound of water falling around them. It echoes in the hallway louder than their footsteps. When they reach the open air again, the smell of rain becomes stifling.

  
"Over there," Sam points to a building with large entrances blocked by metal gates, one of which isn't quite touching the ground.

  
They run across under the rain, and Sam lifts the gate for them. It's a bit rusted but gives way quickly. They step inside, only to find an old arcade, with a dozen or so machines.  
Once they've caught their breaths, Roberto tosses the cap to Sam.

  
"Here you go, rocket man."

  
Sam catches the cap and upraises it. He changes it with his usual cap. It sits nicely on his head.

  
"Now come on, let's see if any of those machines actually work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Tomorrow we'll be back with Dani and Rahne to see how their date is going.  
> I finished writing the story this morning, so as you may have noticed the chapter numbers dropped to 38 and there it shall remain. I'm mostly satisfied with the ending. I could have continued on but this felt like a good place to stop. Now I will work on a few one-shots, mostly MoonWolf but there will be a bit of Roberto and Illyana (and Sam) here and there.  
> The good news is that my college is doing something weird to make sure the classes aren't overfilled this semester. Basically next week I'm staying at home and taking online classes, and in two weeks I'm going there physically. And since already a third of my classes have been canceled next week... Well, let's just say I'll have plenty of time to do more writing, and posting will be on time and not delayed several hours until I make it home, at least for next week.  
> The purple dragon is obviously a reference to Lockheed's comic book origin as a space dragon, but also to the EPCOT mascot Figment, who, fun fact, is actually a Marvel character too. He became one when Marvel made a comic about him and his creator a few years ago.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	19. Under the Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the rain comes, Dani and Rahne hide in the big theater

The souvenir shop at the end of the ride yields nothing besides pins of the attraction and a few arcade tokens. With a bit of work, Dani and Rahne manage to break the lock holding the exit door shut. As soon as the door is open, the deafening roar of water crashing to the ground fills the empty shop.

  
"Do you want to wait it out here?" Dani asks.

  
The souvenir shop is not the most comfortable place to be, but at least it's dry. Rahne looks around. They're right next to the second theater, the one with a restaurant on the second floor. The front door is blocked off by chains and she can't see the backstage entrance, just smooth galaxy painted walls.

  
"Stay here, I'll go check it out."

  
She runs to the front doors and pulls on the chains. They're shut by a lock, but loosely enough that with a bit of struggling, she manages to open the doors just wide enough for her to pass through. She turns around and waves at Dani, who runs to join her. Rahne keeps the doors open just long enough for Dani to squeeze through, then lets the doors fall shut again. The sound of rain dulls only prickling Rahne's superhuman ears.

  
Dani turns on the flashlight and stands back up. They're in a small entrance hall, with passages on either side. There's a booth on the right side of the wall, shut like the one at the entrance of the park, and a large framed painting of the solar system on the other side. The couple makes their way into the main room with curiosity.

  
The room is massive. A few staircases lead to rows upon rows of plush seats. At the end of it is a stage, and a giant white screen to project things on it. Right by the entrance is a booth which probably used to sell drinks and sweets, if the popcorn machine is anything to go by. While the roof is high above the seats, there's a balcony low over the steps, and while it takes a bit of maneuvering to see, there are tables and chairs above, the restaurant. A bit of dull gray light passes through the restaurant windows and falls onto the stage.

  
There are two doors against the left side of the wall, beside the entrance. One leads inside the booth, in which the girls find leaflets with a program of the various shows and movies hosted in the theater during the previous summer, along with advertisements for the Meteor Shower week, where movies are projected all evening for an entire week.

  
Through the other door, they find a staircase leading up. Dani goes first, holding the flashlight to light their way.

  
"The projection booth must be up there," she says as they climb up.

  
"Or another alien, maybe," Rahne jokes lightly.

  
Dani tries not to smile and fails. At the top, they find another door. Behind it is a massive projector, and shelves of circular metal boxes.

  
"Wow! It's huge," Dani says as she moves closer to the projector, looking at the many buttons and switches. It's still loaded with a movie, and as soon as Dani realizes it, she's even more careful with the machine. She tries to flip on the projector, but nothing happens, so she switches back off.

  
" _Guide to the Stars_ ," Rahen reads from the discarded reel box, now the home for a colony of spiders.

  
"If only one of us had some sort of electrical powers, maybe we could have made it work," Dani says with a sigh.

  
"Or inevitably blow it up by accident."

  
Dani chuckles lightly. She moves to the shelves behind the projector. The beam of the flashlight runs across each label, and she reads them one by one.

  
" _Plan 9 from Outer Space_. _War of the World_. _Invasion from Mars_. _It! The Terror from Beyond Space_..."

  
Rahne comes to look at the titles on the boxes over Dani's shoulder.

  
"I've never heard of any of those movies."

  
"Me neither. They're probably some old space movie they keep for special showing or something."

  
Rahne picks up one. It's heavy, and the reel inside trembles in the box. She sets it back on the shelf.

  
"They should have kept them better instead of abandoning them here."

  
She sneezes from all the dust rising from the shelves, and Dani takes pity on her.

  
"Let's try to find a place less dusty."

  
"Here? It's probably impossible."

* * *

They make their way backstage and through another 'personnel only' door. There, they find a staircase leading further down. They end up in a hallway, lit only by the flashlight. Through one door, they find racks upon racks of costumes, and neither of them dares to touch the clothes for fear of disturbing more dust. Behind the second door is a bathroom. They ignore it and continue to the last room. This one is larger, with lockers, tables, and mirrors. It's a changing room for the cast members. There's an old couch in the corner, and all the doors to the lockers hung open, waiting to be filed.

  
After riffling through the lockers and desks, they find a few candles and a forgotten matchbook, with two matches left inside.

  
"I guess we can wait here," Dani suggests. "Unless you'd rather go somewhere else?"

  
Rahne falls onto the couch. A cloud of dust rises and glides to the ground.

  
"Here's fine. At least there's a couch."

  
Dani places the candles as strategically as she can, then with slightly trembling hands, she cracks one of the matches. She's blinded by the flash of light for a second, before quickly recovering and lighting the first candle. She manages to light three before the flames are licking her fingers and she has to drop the match. She almost lights the other match, but thinks against it and uses the already lit candles to light the others. Once there's a good amount of light in the room, she turns off the flashlight and comes to sit beside Rahne on the couch.

  
When Rahne shifts to look at her, Dani does the same.

  
"It was a very nice date," Rahne says. "Thank you."

  
"It's not over yet," Dani replies.

  
"What else can we do?" Rahne asks.

  
Dani looks around her. They don't have any food on them, since Roberto is carrying the backpack. They don't have any games either. All they can really do is talk and...

  
Dani bites her lower lip at the thought. Rahne stares at her as if waiting for an answer.

  
"I have an idea," Dani admits.

  
"What?"

  
Dani lifts an eyebrow, and as if Rahne could read her thoughts, she understands and blushes.

  
"I mean, there's no one around to bother us," Dani says.

  
"I'm sure Illyana will find a way to interrupt anyway," Rahne replies.

  
"Want to test that theory?"

  
Dani leans in and Rahne does the same until their lips meet. One kiss turns to many. Dani continues to lean forward, prompting Rahne to lay on the couch until her shoulders touch the armrest. Dani shifts her legs to be on her knees, so she won't crush Rahne, but hover above her, just out of reach. One of her hands slides from Rahne's cheek to the armrest to hold her weight, while the other settles on her waist, under her shirt. The skin under her palm is warm like she imagines the sun is, it sends jolts of electricity through her body and makes shivers run over her arms.

  
Rahne's hands had first cupped Dani's jaw, but now that she finds herself draped under the girl of her dreams, she's not sure what to do with her hands anymore. She follows Dani's example and searches for the hem of Dani's shirt. When her fingers find warm skin, she follows the feeling and tries to embrace it. She places both of her hands on Dani's back, flat on either side of her spine.

  
Dani's lips leave Rahne's for a moment, just to take in a deep breath before diving back in. She finds Rahne has shut her eyes, with a slight frown on her brow as if she's trying to keep them shut. Dani places a feather-light kiss on the frown. This prompts Rahen to open her eyes, revealing yellow irises.

  
"Relax. We're just kissing."

  
"It's a bit more than kissing," Rahne replies.

  
Dani smiles.

  
"If you want me to stop, just say it."

  
Rahne shakes her head.

  
"I don't want that."

  
"But if you want to, you'll tell me, okay?"

  
Rahne nods and Dani kisses her again. Rahne doesn't waste more time thinking and kisses her back eagerly. Her hands under Dani's shirt are climbing, looking for more soft skin. She doesn't notice until she hits something that isn't flesh, but cloth. The strap of Dani's bra. Rahne freezes. Dani's shirt is hiked up to her chest, kept there by Rahne's arms.

  
"If you wanted my shirt off you could have just ask," Dani jokes before placing a kiss on Rahne's cheek.

  
"No, I mean... I didn't..."

  
Any thoughts of asking Dani to take off or keep her shirt on are gone in a flash, as Rahne feels herself shifting. She pushes Dani lightly away and Dani reacts immediately, sitting back on her heels. Rahne steps off the couch and sits a foot from it as she tries to breathe and get her powers under control. Behind her she hears shifting, and finds Dani, now seating upside-down, with her head hanging off the couch, her long hair draped over the concrete ground. She doesn't say anything, just watches her with a caring smile. After a moment, Rahne takes a deep breath and lays down on the ground, her head next to Dani's.

  
"So... It seems the thought of me without my shirt on made you shift. Want to talk about it?"

  
Rahne is silent for a moment. She's embarrassed if the heat she feels flooding her whole head is anything to go by.

  
"I just didn't want to hurt you," Rahne replies.

  
Dani holds out her hand, and despite the slightly awkward position, Rahne takes it.

  
"I'm fine. Not even a scratch. I would have told you if you'd hurt me at all."

  
Rahne manages a smile and squeezes Dani's hand in hers. After a moment of silence, Dani asks:

  
"Does this happen often?"

  
The heat returns to Rahne's cheeks, but she manages:

  
"No... I mean it's happened before but... I thought I had it under control."

  
Dani nods as best as she can from her position. Then, she continues:

  
"I have another question."

  
Rahne waits silently for what she assumes will be another embarrassing conversation.

  
"Do you want to be my girlfriend? Like, officially, my girlfriend."

  
Rahne blinks. Then, she lets go of Dani's hand and sits up. It's even more awkward to try and kiss her while her head is upside-down, but Dani doesn't seem to mind as she kisses her back. When they part, they're both smiling.

  
"I'll take that as a yes."

  
Dani lets her legs fall to the side so she can sit right-side-up again. Then, she grins:

  
"So, we don't know how long we're gonna be trapped here. How about some training?"

  
Rahne is confused at first until Dani grabs her by the collar of her shirt to bring her closer.

  
"Let's see if this time you can get my shirt off without shifting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever get tired of finding new and entertaining ways to stop Dani and Rahne from making out? Probably not. And don't worry you will know in the next chapter if Rahne succeeded or not...  
> So yesterday I found out that both of my classes for the day have been canceled. I'm seriously not going to complain about that! Tomorrow however I have to start early. I don't know exactly how Zoom works if I can open other tabs without being seen, but just in case, I have another computer, I can pretend that I'm taking notes while actually posting tomorrow's chapter. I did it before in class once, it's no big deal.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	20. Climbing the Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the rain subsides, the teens reunite under the Ferris wheel.

The rain continues for most of the afternoon. When it stops, Roberto and Sam finally leave the foosball table they've played fifteen games on. Illyana has been drawing in her notebook for the most part, until she got bored with it and started drawing on the ground instead.

  
"Did you see where Dani and Rahne went?" Roberto asks as he stretches his arms and steps out of the arcade.

  
The clouds have finally parted, pushed away toward the south, leaving a corner of blue sky. Sam follows Roberto outside and shakes his head.

  
"I mean, they have to be somewhere around here."

  
Illyana stuffs the small boxes of color pencils in her pockets, leaving the filled notebooks behind, and follows the boys outside.

  
"Dani said they'd meet us at the Ferris wheel. We'll just wait for them there."

  
She pulls out her map once again and leads the boys up the stairs. They walk over the wet walkway. Through the transparent floor, they can see the Galaxy's Market underneath. When they reach the other side, they come face to face with the restaurant's entrance. The glass doors are locked by metal bars at the top and bottom of the doors, but Illyana doesn't seem to care, as she grabs the nearest decorative rock and smashes through it.

  
"We could have found a way to unlock it," Roberto complains.

  
"I just did."

  
Inside, the restaurant is only lit by the late afternoon light filtering through the doors and windows. There are several tables in the room, mostly round tables with four chairs placed on them. In the left corner, there's a bar with a pizza oven protruding out of the wall. The door to the kitchen is beside it, though there's only darkness beyond. There's no back wall to the room, only a low wall on which an entire row of glass windows have been attached. And there's the persistent sound of metal bouncing off of something echoing every few minutes.

  
The group approaches the windows on the other side of the room, zigzagging around tables until they reach the edge of the balcony. Looking down, they can see Dani and Rahne, sitting in theater seats on the first row. The flashlight has been stuck between two seats to better light the stage. There, a large plastic cup has been placed, surrounded by metal tokens. Dani throws a token and it bounced over the rim before falling in. While she does a little celebratory shout, Rahne throws hers and it falls straight into the cup without touching the edges.

  
"52 to 48," Rahne announces.

  
"Best of 64?" Dani suggests.

  
Rahne points above them and Dani turns around and waves at her friends with a smile.

  
"Did you guys actually broke the door?" Dani shouts.

  
"How else were we supposed to get in?" Roberto shouts back.

  
"I don't know. Without breaking the door?"

  
"We're going to the Ferris wheel," Illyana announces. "Come on."

  
"We'll be right there."

  
They stand up and leave the tokens and the cup on the stage. Dani takes the flashlight with her and they make their way out. The others leave the restaurant and wait by the door. They hear chains jiggling and straining, then finally Dani and Rahne climb up the slope to get to them. Instantly, they all notice that Dani has changed her tee-shirt, as she is now wearing one from the park, with a cat in a rocket ship floating through the stars.

  
"What happened to your shirt?" Roberto asks.

  
Rahne turns beet red and looks away. Dani shrugs vaguely.

  
"What do you mean? There was blood on it. At least this one is relatively clean."

  
The others don't ask any more questions. Together they walk past souvenir shops and a vertical coaster and finally arrive in front of the Ferris wheel.

  
It's a large, 160 ft. tall monster, a massive wheel with seats big enough to accommodate four passengers easily. It's painted gray and red, with the Astroport's logo in its center. Many lights have been placed on the spokes, probably lighting up whenever the wheel turns. The rain has clung to it, and under the declining sunlight, it looks as though a million diamonds are encrusted in it.

  
"First to the top wins the best sleeping place," Illyana decides as she places her hand on one of the spokes and a foot on the seat at the bottom of the wheel.

  
"Are you serious?" Roberto replies.

  
"Well, if I'm the only one playing it will be easy to win."

  
"You're so on!"

  
As Illyana begins to climb, Roberto joins her, quickly taking the lead, undeterred by the fact that the wheel is wet and slick. While Dani and Rahne are debating whether to do it or not, Sam has already sneaked his way to the maintenance ladder and began climbing. Dani and Rahne imitate him, following right on his heel as he steals the lead.

  
"Cheaters!" Roberto calls them out.

  
"This ain't cheating, it's being smart," Sam replies boastfully.

  
The more they climb the less Dani is certain about whether they should continue. The others might be able to stop themselves if they fall, but there's nothing that she could do, except maybe develop a certain fear of trampolines, but she doubts that would work.

  
"If I fall, will you catch me?" she asks Rahne.

  
"If you fall I'm falling with you," Rahne replies.

  
Illyana makes a gagging sound.

  
"Why are you two so sappy all the time?"

  
"Leave them be," Sam replies. "You should focus on your climbing, cause I'm winning right now."

  
He reaches the end of the maintenance ladder, at the center of the wheel. His climbing slows then as he grows less confident, and slowly but surely Roberto and Illyana catch up. Dani and Rahne are far behind, taking their time. They have a seat in mind, not the top one but the one that might afford them the best view, and they make their way there carefully, Rahne staying right behind Dani so she can catch her if she loses her footing.

  
The leading trio is just thirty feet from the top when Illyana fakes a yawn.

  
"Well, this is tiring. I think I'll stop here."

  
She lets go of the wheel and drops like a stone. Beside her, Roberto watches her fall with horror on his face, as a strangled cry gets caught in his throat. Even Sam, Dani, and Rahne stop moving, all of their muscles locking down in fear. Illyana disappears in a flash of light. There's a heavy sound above them, and they watch as Illyana climbs down the metal roof of the top-most seat and climbs inside.

  
"Seriously!" Roberto shouts as his heart beats frantically in his chest.

  
Illyana doesn't even bother to answer.

"Seriously! Did she really have to do that!"

  
The others are mostly just happy to feel themselves breathe again. Once they've recovered enough and their limbs aren't shaking too much from the adrenaline, they finish their climb. Roberto makes it first to the top-most seat. He slides beside Illyana with a sigh.

  
"What the fuck, Illy?"

  
"Did you really think I was going to let myself fall?"

  
"Yes! No! I mean... You scared me."

  
Illyana's smirk falters slightly. She remains silent for a moment, then she leans back against the plastic seat.

  
"It's your fault because you caught me when I tried to do the same from the cliff last time."

  
"Like you wouldn't have done it anyway."

  
"Probably. Does it matter? I can take care of myself."

  
"I know. Just... be careful anyway, alright? We wouldn't want something bad to happen to you."

  
Illyana falls silent again and looks away from Roberto to the valley below. Sam doesn't go for the top-most seat, but the one behind it. After a few more minutes of climbing, Dani and Rahne reach the seat in front of it. They settle inside with a sigh of relief, cuddling in the middle of the seat. The sun is disappearing under the trees, the sky is set ablaze by the last few rays. Though the air has grown cold, they keep each other warm enough.

  
"Today's date was really great," Rahne says.

  
Dani agrees with a smile.

  
"It really was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm quickly posting this chapter before my first class starts. This scene, along with the highway crossing and the gas station (and a few others to come) were among the firsts I imagined for this story, so I'm very glad that I can finally share it with you!  
> So, I'm off to class for the morning, and I will see you tomorrow bright and early for the next chapter!


	21. Home is Where the Bacon is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting off the Ferris wheel the teens share dinner and explore the park further

They make their way down the Ferris wheel before the last rays of the sun dissipate and they lose all visibility. Then, they settle into the restaurant for dinner. The kitchen is raided but no food is found, only utensils and plates have been left behind. They have a few cans of food left, some chips and cookies and marshmallows. They divide their rations in half, hoping to last another day with them. The two cans of tomato pasta are emptied in a saucepan and placed over the stove, which miraculously still works.

  
To get more light they get the pizza oven started. Fortunately, the chimney isn't blocked and smoke doesn't invade the restaurant. Plates are served, chips are placed into a bowl, water is poured in wine glasses, and when dinner is heated up enough, Roberto emerges out of the kitchen with a stolen apron wrapped around his hips, the saucepan in one hand and a ladle in the other.

  
"For your dinner tonight, the chef has prepared his famous hoops of fresh pasta in his famous tomato sauce."

  
Everyone is served as equally as possible, then Roberto discards the empty saucepan.

  
"Please enjoy."

  
They all chuckle and dig in. They sit on the bar counter, lit by the fire from the pizza oven and a few candles Dani brought up from the changing room. The bowl of chips goes from one hand to another until it's empty, and forgotten in a corner. The pasta tastes as bad as it looks, the yellowish ring floating in dull red soup-like sauce, but none of them complain. Somehow it's still better than the food at the center.

  
Marshmallows are shared for desert. Dinner is almost over when Illyana suggests:

  
"Why don't we stay here? No one will ever find us here."

  
Silence follows the suggestion. It's not an uncomfortably one, but a thoughtful one, as the teens consider the proposal.

  
"I mean, yeah, it would be pretty cool if we could stay here," Roberto replies. "But we don't have a lot of food left. And we don't have unlimited money either. How much did you get from the gas station?"

  
Illyana stuffs her hand in her pocket as if to make sure the money is still there. She's memorized the amount.

  
"Seventy-six and three quarters."

  
"I think we should keep going," Rahne says.

  
"How about we stay here tomorrow, and then we leave?" Roberto suggests. "Maybe we'll end up finding something useful if we explore a bit more."

  
"You mean more useful than a few hundred changes of clothes," Sam says with a light chuckle.

  
This seems to relax Illyana, who nods in agreement.

  
"Fine. But I'm breaking into all the locked buildings before we go, even if it means busting the door."

* * *

After dinner, no one is tired or ready to go to bed yet, so they do a bit more of evening exploration, using the flashlight, Rahne's dark vision, and a torch Roberto made for himself, using a stick, some vodka, and his apron. First, they return to the storage room behind the Galaxy's Market. Dani and Rahne are excited by the piles of things stored inside. Tee-shirts are collected, Illyana gets her hands on more drawing kits, and eventually, at the back, they find backpacks to store their loot into.

  
Then they stop by the arcade to play a few games of foosball – or table football, as Rahne insists on calling it. They take turns playing against each other, the rest of the group cheering the others on. While waiting for her turn Illyana attempts to make one of the games of Whac-a-mole work. She busts it even more and gets a few tokens stuck in the slot.

  
Finally, they take one last look around the park. As they walk, Illyana marks off the building they've already gone through on her map, and circles the one which piques her interest. The first theater Dani and Rahne couldn't open is one of them. The Disaster Transport attraction is another. Up the slope near the Ferris wheel is also a massive metal gate, twice as high as them. No one had noticed it before, but now that they're standing in front of it, everyone wants to know what's on the other side.

  
"Looks like it's leading into the woods," Sam says as Roberto tries to jump above, but to no avail.

  
"Could be another storage building or some sort of mechanical workshop," Dani suggests.

  
When Roberto finally gives up on trying to jump over or scale the slick surface, he looks over at Rahne.

  
"Come on, climb on my shoulders."

  
"What?"

  
"I want to know what's on the other side, and you can see in the dark. Come on."

  
With a slight shrug, Rahne obliges. Roberto kneels and she climbs onto his shoulders. Roberto struggles back into a standing position, enough to worry Dani, who moves behind him and tries to keep Rahne steady with a hand on her back.

  
"What do you see?" Roberto asks.

  
"Hold on, I'm too short."

  
Rahne's eyes don't quite reach over the gate. She tries to push herself a bit higher on Roberto's shoulders. Roberto leans onto the gate to push himself on his tiptoes, but he almost loses his balance, worrying everyone else.

  
"Just give it up, Roberto," Illyana says. "We'll see in the morning."

  
"No, just... and if you stand on my shoulders?"

  
With a bit of help from Dani and Sam, they manage to get Rahne to stand on Roberto's shoulders. She grabs onto the top of the gate and stands as still as she can while looking out over the gate.

  
"So, what do you see?" Roberto asks, his voice strained by the effort.

  
"All I see are white domes."

  
"Domes?"

  
"Yeah, kinda like those tents they use to protect vegetables in the winter."

  
"Do you think that maybe they were growing their own food or something?" Dani asks.

  
"I don't know. That's what it looks to me. To you want me to hop over onto the other side?"

  
Roberto tries to push Rahne a bit higher and he once again loses his balance slightly. This worries Dani enough that she says:

  
"Roberto, let my girlfriend down before she falls."

  
"Fine," he says with a roll of the eye.

  
Slowly, Rahne sits back down on Roberto's shoulders, and he kneels to let her down. When she comes down, her cheeks are slightly red.

  
"You called me your girlfriend," she mumbles.

  
"Because you are," Dani replies with a smile.

  
This is enough for Illyana to make another gagging sound.

  
"Alright, I'm off to bed. And since I made it to the top first, I take the couch."

  
She walks back toward the theater, Roberto hot on her heels, shouting about how she cheated.

  
"I don't care. I make the game, I make the rules. Next time come up with a better game so you can cheat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Today is an exciting day! My teacher agreed to my thesis idea, so I'm gonna be working all year on the 1964 NY World's Fair! Doesn't sound that exciting but trust me, it is!  
> Anyway, I have a class in half an hour so I'll post this quick and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	22. Sleepless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Dani recovers from her nightmare, Illyana looks through the costume room for something to play with.

Finding good sleeping arrangements in the theater is complicated, especially since Illyana has taken the couch and will not share it with anyone. Sam settles into a seat and falls asleep there, his head leaned forward, promising a painful crick in the neck in the morning. Roberto tries to lay over a few seats, but the armrests make it impossible to settle comfortably. After trying to fall asleep seating like Sam, he gives up, and lays flat on the cold stage, using a few tee-shirts as blankets. Rahne and Dani are small enough that they can curl into a single seat, however, it prevents them from cuddling.

  
In her dreams, Dani is back in the haunted house. It has suddenly come to life like she imagines it should once the power is turned on. The lights are flickering above her. A single flashing light is reflecting orange light in the middle of the hallway. The alarm is blaring out every few minutes. She feels observe, and she knows what it is. It must be hiding somewhere near, in the air-duck above or under her, behind the pipes in the walls. She can feel the back of her head prickling.

  
She takes herself out just in time, or so she hopes. She jumps awake with a gasp. Beside her, Rahne is still fast asleep, no longer holding her hand as she has shifted in her sleep. Dani holds her breath and waits. The itch at the back of her skull dissipates. She sits up straighter and rubs her tired eyes. There's no way of knowing just how much she slept, but she's not sure she wants to sleep any longer, especially if it could summon an alien.

  
She's still struggling with herself, trying to stop her eyes from shutting, when she hears something coming from downstairs. It sounds like metal racking against metal, the regular click of hangers being pushed aside. The only one downstairs is Illyana. Dani stands up and makes her way discreetly through the darkness. Barely a ray of moonlight passes through the restaurant windows and lights the theater room. Dani has to hold onto the seats to make sure she doesn't collide with one, but eventually, she finds her way down into the basement.

  
There's blue light coming from the costume room, and filtering through the door, bathing the hallway into a cold glow. When Dani pushes the door open wider, she finds Illyana holding her sword in one hand and going through racks upon racks of clothes with the other.

  
"What are you doing?" she asks.

  
Illyana stops to look up at her.

  
"Shopping," Illyana replies simply. "You can go back to sleep."

  
Dani purses her lips but doesn't reply. Instead, she starts looking at the clothes closest to her. There are pieces of an astronaut costume, a costume which she imagines might belong to an alien, and a costume more worthy of a retro space explorer, ripped straight out of the pages of a comic book.

  
"Let me guess, you don't want to go back to sleep," Illyana says after checking another rack.

  
Dani shakes her head.

  
"I don't want to bring anything dangerous."

  
"Yes, that would be preferable. I don't want us to die in our sleep."

  
Dani looks away from the blonde and focuses, with no real interest, on the costumes.

  
"What was it this time? Just so I know what I'm going to have to fight."

  
"It's... nothing. Just forget about it."

  
Dani was about to walk back up into the theater when she hears Illyana's footsteps stop behind her. She turns around. Illyana is looking at something at the foot of a shelf. Dani stands by the door for a moment, until Illyana pulls out what she'd been looking for. It's a plastic bag containing a few white masks. They are completely blank, expressionless, with cutouts for the eyes and mouth. Usually, Dani wouldn't have given much thought to blank masks, but having seen Illyana's nightmares, she's quick to cross the distance between them and try to snatch the masks way. To her surprise, Illyana reacts. She's not frozen in place like Dani at first assumes. She doesn't let her take the masks away. Instead, she places them behind her back and glares at her.

  
"I'll trade you one if you want it."

  
Dani frowns.

  
"What? I thought the masks... I mean..."

  
"You thought that I would be scared of a few stupid masks? No, I'm taking them with me."

  
Illyana turns and circles around the room to leave out of the door without walking beside Dani. Dani watches her do with a frown, but since she's also taking the light with her, Dani follows. Illyana returns to the changing room. She's lit what was left of the candles all around the room. She pulls one of the masks out from the bag, throwing the other on the nearest dresser. Then, she sits with her back against the couch and amidst her pile of colored pencils and starts drawing on one of the masks.

  
Dani stands by the door frame and watches her do. Since Illyana doesn't seem to mind her around, she walks around the room and looks at the masks still in the bag. The park owner must have bought a bunch and had someone decorate them for the shows since it was probably cheaper than having special masks made.

  
"If you want one, I'll trade you," Illyana says without looking up from her mask.

  
Dani doesn't particularly care for a mask, but it seems like a good way to pass the time until dawn.

  
"Can I draw on it too?"

  
"What else did you want to do with it?" Illyana asks as if the request hadn't already been implied.

  
Dani searches through her pockets.

  
"I have this pin from the Alien Encounter haunted house."

  
They'd collected at least a dozen in the gift shop. She hands it to Illyana who picks it up and looks at it.

  
"Two of those and all your tokens, and you can have a mask."

  
Dani shrugs. She doesn't know why Illyana cares so much about tokens, especially since all the arcade machines are busted, but she doesn't care to know either.

"Deal."

  
She hands the two pins out of her pocket, tells Illyana that she can collect her tokens upstairs in the morning, and takes a mask for herself. She sits beside Illyana and reaches for one of the many, many boxes of color pencils on the ground. She's decided she wants to draw flowers all over the masks, mostly because she's not that good of an artist, and she wants to make it look nice.

  
Beside her, Illyana has no such preoccupations of niceness. She's used up a red color pencil until the point is just as flat as the ground to make red streaks coming out of the eyes. She picks up another red pencil and starts drawing gashes all over the face. When she looks over Dani's mask, with irregular flowers on the left temple, she asks:

  
"Is that what you're afraid of, flowers?"

  
"No, why?"

  
"You're doing it wrong, then."

  
Dani frowns at first, but then her mind catches up. She's supposed to draw her fear on the mask, or maybe a version of it that she can conquer. Illyana is still drawing very strongly with red all over the mask. Then, she reaches for the blue and starts drawing twisting lines from the wounds, flames.

  
"Does it work?" Dani asks.

  
"To get rid of the nightmares? I don't know. I've never tried before. I just felt like trying."

  
After a pause, Illyana continues:

  
"If you really want to get rid of the nightmares, you have to fight it. There's no other way."

  
Dani nods then reaches for the black pencil and continues to draw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I realized I was always making the same people interact all the time so I thought I'd give Dani and Illyana their own chapter.  
> I started working on a MoonWolf one-shot this morning. The story is basically 'what if I was selling books to try and save my high school club and you ordered a bunch of books so I would have to come back and bring them to you. And we were both girls (^w^)'. I wrote about half of it this morning, I know I'll finish it tomorrow. What I'm not sure is whether I'll post it this weekend, or I'll keep it until I'm done posting this story. What do you guys think? Let me know...  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed and I will see you tomorrow for the next chapter!


	23. Breaking and Entering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning, the teens break into some of the buildings and find some things to play with.

When morning comes Dani is exhausted, but her mask is complete. It doesn't look like much, aliens and bears and Essex, stabbed with hundreds of arrows, but it felt productive. Illyana has gone through all the other masks, all decorated in the same fashion, read tears, and flaming gashes.

  
The others awaken when the sun pierces through the restaurant's windows and lights up the theater. As expected, Sam's neck feels like hundreds of needles are dug inside. Even Rahne feels a bit broken like all her joints have rusted overnight. Only Roberto has slept like a baby. If Rahne notices that Dani's eyes are bloodshot, she doesn't comment on it. The teens share as much of a breakfast as they can, and Illyana pulls out her map.

  
Their first task of the day is to break into the second, smaller theater near the entrance. The front doors are still locked. Rahne and Roberto go in search of a back door, but when they find it, hidden by the side of the building, it's locked as well. Roberto lets his powers take over his hands and forearms, up to his elbows, and it is enough to break the lock and burst the door open.

  
They find themselves backstage, amidst ropes and sandbags and cutouts of rocket ships and alien sceneries. A few steps are leading up onto the stage, and a ladder is leading up on the rafters. They step onto the scene and Sam pulls the curtain open, revealing the sitting area on the other side. Unlike with the other theater, there aren't any comfortable theater seats there. Rather, the seats are long enough for four people to sit in, arranged in rows of four inside spacecraft-like boxes. There are eight all over the room, three in the front and middle rows and two at the back.

  
"Well, at least it'll be easier to sleep here," Sam says, still rubbing his neck.

  
They don't find much of value here, besides more tokens, more costumes, and a program for the many representations there. Once everything has been thoroughly searched, they move on to the building beside it, Disaster Transport.

  
Getting into Disaster Transport isn't difficult, as once again Roberto breaks the back door. They end up by the switch boxes, and while Illyana is eager to turn it on, much like with the rest of the park, nothing happens once the switch is flipped. They move on to the attraction itself.

  
Though only lit by the flashlight, the group can clearly see the tracks in the room. They are twisting and turning, going from the top of the building to down, very low to the ground, before disappearing through an opening in the wall. At the sight of the tracks, Roberto gets very excited. He swiftly climbs on top of one, and carefully maneuvers his way over the metal bars as high as he can go.

  
"This is awesome!"

  
The others spread into the room. Dani passes under a set of tracks to find herself in the midst of them. Fake planets are hanging all around the room, faintly glowing every time Dani moves the flashlight away from them. It seems the fluorescent paint has grown tired from a lack of exposition.

  
Sam makes his way over the tracks to the exit. Though he doesn't have a flashlight, he can see the edge of the control booth, right beside a black curtain. When he passes his head through the curtains, it's pitch dark on the other side. He climbs up the stairs to the control booth instead, but like many things, the door is locked.

  
Illyana is using the tracks like monkey bars, advancing over a few bars until she lets go and lands heavily on the concrete ground. She lands beside Rahne, who doesn't have much trouble making her way around the room. There's something hidden behind one of the planets, in a corner, and she very much wants to know what it is. Dani notices her girlfriend crawling under a piece of track to make her way to the decorative planet.

  
"What did you find?" Dani asks, and her voice echoes around the room.

  
When Rahne returns, she has a heavy-looking toolbox in her hands. It's as if she found a treasure chest. All at once the teens converge on her position and kneel beside the box to look at what's inside. One by one, Rahne pulls the items out.

  
"Screwdrivers... The bubble thing..."

  
She hands them the items as she goes. Roberto finds himself with a metal bubble level in his hands, and he stares at the bubbles for a moment before placing it beside him.

  
"Flashlight!"

  
Rahne hands the flashlight to Sam who shakes it before flipping it on. A bright white light comes on, blinding the group. This flashlight is bigger and more powerful than the small one they took at the gas station. It lights up the entire room easily.

  
"What's that?"

  
Rahne has pulled out a small cardboard box. When she opens it, a rectangular black machine slips out. It looks like some sort of measurer, as when they turn on, it indicates 80.65F° on the digital screen.

  
"Hand it here," Sam says.

  
They pass the machine to him and he takes a closer look at it.

  
"Oh, I know what this is. It's a special thermometer. You can easily measure the temperature in the air or you place it against a machine and it tells you its temperature. In case it's overheating or something."

  
The others don't ask him how he knows about the thermometer, they have an idea already. Sam places the machine back in its box and hands it to Rahne. Illyana intercepts it.

  
"I have an idea of what we can do with this."

  
Nervous glances are exchanged. With nothing else of interest in the toolbox, they abandon it there. They follow Sam to the unloading area, on the other side of the curtains. There's a statue of an alien welcoming the passengers to some strange planet named Sleazeworld. To their left, a corridor leads to the exit of the ride. Across the area is an open door. A peek inside reveals a supply closet. It seemed however was due to work on the ride's maintenance had left for the end of their shift and never returned the next day to finish.

  
Out of the supply closet, Roberto pulls out a ladder.

  
"Maybe we can use it to get on the other side of the big gate," he suggests.

  
With Sam's help, they carry the ladder to the exit door. Before they leave, Illyana takes a roll of tape out of the closet, which Dani notices but doesn't question.

  
The locks up and down the door are unlocked and the teens are back outside, under the summer morning sun. Roberto places the ladder against the wall for future use. He rubs his hands and asks:

  
"Where to now, Illy?"

  
Illyana doesn't pull her map out. Instead, she shows him the thermometer and tape.

  
"We're going to do a small experiment, now."

  
"What kind of experiment?" Roberto asks nervously.

  
He looks at the others, but they seem just as nervous as him.

  
"I want to know how hot you can get," Illyana replies as she takes the thermometer out of its box.

  
She places the thermometer in her pocket and enrolls the tape loudly.

  
"Now, take off your shirt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm quickly posting this cause I'm supposed to be listening to the class right now.  
> I finished writing my MoonWolf one-shot. It's about 6700 words long and it's probably going to take a whole hour to read through and correct before I can post it. So I'll probably post it sometime this weekend, probably Saturday afternoon. It's called Paperback, by the way.  
> Anyway, I'm in class right now, got to go!


	24. Hot Air Balloon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roberto is affixed with the thermometer and the test begins.

Roberto stands at the edge of the constellation bowl. Rainwater has filled its bottom, but the day's heat is already emptying it, inch by inch. He's taken his shirt off and entrusted it in Sam's hands. Illyana has placed the tape on the thermometer. When she approaches Roberto, she places a hand on his shoulder and digs the little black box over his sternum, making him wince. She presses the tape against his skin, then adds another layer of it, just in case.

  
"What happens if I break the thermometer?" he asks in a low voice so only Illyana will hear.

  
"You better not," she warns. "I want results."

  
Her hand lingers on his chest as she places the last piece of tape, and Roberto shivers. He clears his throat and says:

  
"You guys better get back. It's gonna get very hot."

  
Illyana joins the rest of the group who step back until they're standing on the path.

  
"Further away," Roberto adds with a motion of the hand, prompting everyone to move back some more. "More, more... Okay, that should do it."

  
The group is standing by the entrance of the queue for the giant swing, Saturn's Belt, a full one hundred feet from Roberto.

  
"Don't worry about your pants," Illyana shouts, "There are plenty in the costume room."

  
Roberto purses his lips nervously. He's not exactly worried, but he's never at peace when it comes to using his powers around people. What he did against the mysterious woman a few days ago was extremely dangerous, the more he thinks about it. He glances at Illyana. She's perfectly fine and staring at him with her arms crossed, waiting for the results of her test.

  
Roberto takes off his shoes and throws them away toward his friends, then slides down into the constellation bowl. The water is slimy under his feet, there's a lot of dirt clinging to his feet and he grimaces. The muck reaches to his mid-calf.

  
"Here we go..." he says, mostly to himself.

  
He's hyper-aware of the sun above him, prickling his tan skin. He feels heat pulsing deep into his chest and he goes searching for it. The usual darkness smeared with red spreads over his skin. The sunlight becomes white around him, it bends around his body, as if trying to break through his skin. The feeling his familiar, but what he's trying to do is foreign. He's always tried to cool himself, not become warmer.

  
He takes a deep breath and continues to tap into that feeling of warmth in his chest. He can't see the numbers on the thermometer climbing, he can't even feel the dirty water heating up. But he sees it growing agitated until it's boiling, and steam rises out. At first, he thinks the level of the water is diminishing, and it is, but that is not the only reason why the water is getting away from him.

  
He doesn't realize he's floating until he finds himself staring at his friends, through the light steam still emanating from the puddle. The others seem as surprised as he is.  
"Guys... Am I floating?" he asks because when he looks down at himself he's not even sure.

  
His body is completely black, not a trance of light is left, and still, he continues to heat up, floating higher and higher like a hot air balloon.

  
Roberto wants to know what else he can do. Can he shoot up like Sam, and reach up to the clouds? He tries. He glides up, going faster and faster as his temperature continues to rise. Soon he's as high as the Ferris wheel, higher, as high as the highest roller-coaster, higher still, just a dark spot in the sky. He continues up into the clouds. They dissolve around him like cotton candy in water. But when he tries to take a deep breath of fresh air, he can barely breathe, the metal taste of ozone feels his throat and he coughs.

  
Now comes the problem of going back down. Roberto tries shooting down like a comet, but still, he continues to climb. It doesn't matter which way he's facing, he continues to climb. Fear takes over his cells. What if he's stuck up there? Could Sam come and get him? And how does he signal that he needs Sam's help?

  
All those questions taking over his mind breaks his concentration. He doesn't think about keeping his temperature up anymore, and it falls back to his usual resting temperature. As he does, he plummets to the ground.

  
He's lost all sense of up and down as he falls. When the cold air beats against his skin he knows that his powers have completely abandoned him. He tries to stretch out his arms and legs as the heroes do in action movies, but the wind is whipping around him, turning his limbs to jelly as he struggles to make his muscle work. He's trying to breathe, but he's either not getting enough air through his nose, or too much through his mouth.

  
He closes his eyes, waiting for the fall. He can still feel the ball of heat in his chest, the warm feeling now struggling against the cold realization that he is going to either fall flat against the ground or worse be snapped in pieces by a ride. He tries to focus on the feeling, on flying. On the thermometer still in his chest. Illyana is going to be pissed if he breaks it when he dies.

  
He feels warmth licking at his skin, and the air around him slows. He dares to open his eyes. He's floating just a few feet above the Ferris wheel. He lets out a shout of relief, as all the coldness leaves his body. He looks down to see his friends, still standing by the swings, none the wiser to his almost death. Better to keep it that way, he thinks. When he looks down at the park, he sees the white tents beyond the gate, the one Rahne had described to them in the dead of night. Except now that he has the sun with him, he can tell that they are not tents, but octagonal cabins made to look like futuristic houses, like the buildings of a Martian colony.

  
As soon as he realizes it, he knows he needs to tell his friends. It's just that he still doesn't know how to get down. So he carefully floats to his friends. Once he's hovering above them, he shouts:

  
"Can you guys pull me down? Or find me something soft to land on?"

  
He sees them talking to each other. Then, Sam shouts back:

  
"Just lower your temperature, you'll get down on your own."

  
Roberto nods and swallows.

  
"Lower my temperature, okay..."

  
That he can do. He's practiced it too many times already. He takes deep breaths and lets his temperature fall back down until his feet touch the ground.

  
"Where are my clothes?" he asks.

  
They all point to the corner of the nearest building. He walks there, leaving slightly melted footprints behind him. He disappears behind, and when his powers leave him again, he feels his entire body shaking. He can fly. But also not well, and he almost died. It all at once comes crashing down on him, and he leans against the building wall and tries to process it.

  
He doesn't know how long he stays there, only that it's a long enough time that Sam is sent to check on him.

  
"You okay?" he asks from around the corner.

  
Roberto blinks and turns his attention to the clothes, his shirt, and a pair of pants from a costume that looks somewhat normal.

  
"Yeah, I'm... I'm alright."

  
He puts on his pants swiftly and tries to put his shirt on, only to remember the device still stuck to his chest. He winces as he peels it off. When he rounds the corner, Sam is standing with his shoes in his hand. They trade, Roberto taking his shoes and giving Sam the thermometer.

  
Upon seeing him emerge, the girls move up to him.

  
"That was incredible," Rahne says. "I didn't know you could fly!"

  
"Me either," Roberto replies.

  
He clears his throat and finishes tying his shoes.

  
"Anyway, I saw what's on the other side of the gate. It's not tents, it's cabins. I think those are overnight cabins, for tourists."

  
"Let's go check it out, then," Sam says as he goes to grab the ladder, placing the thermometer in Illyana's hand.

  
Illyana looks at the screen for a moment.

  
"It's broken," she says.

  
Roberto looks at the machine. Sure enough, the plastic box is melted, and the screen split under the pressure, and the number flashing on it says 486°F, with no way of knowing if it was his highest temperature, or if he went higher.

  
"I'm sorry, Illy," Roberto says quickly. "I tried to be careful..."

  
"No, I have what I wanted," Illyana replies, and walks on, following Sam and the ladder, and leaving once again Roberto somewhat confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know a lot of you wanted to see Roberto fly, so here you are!  
> I will be posting Paperback sometime this afternoon, so if you're on the American continent it should be available to you in the morning, and if you're on the Asian continent in the evening. If you're on the European or African continents, then we're about on the same timezone.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you tomorrow for the next one!


	25. Cabins on Mars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teen finally get a good look at what's hidden behind the gates.

The ladder is laid against the gate to its tallest, leaving four feet to scale. Roberto climbs over while Sam holds the ladder for him. He heaves himself on top of the gate, surveying the other side for a moment. There are a dozen or so cabins, surrounded by a wall, painted to resemble Mars. The ground is covered with orange dirt, the sort of dusty dirt that clings to clothes. Everything has been made to make the people staying believe that they are in a Martian colony.

  
Roberto lets himself fall over the gate. He lands heavily on the other side and uses his hands to push himself back up. Just as he imagined, the orange dust clings to his hands, and he rubs them, hoping to get rid of most of it. Some stick to his still clammy hands, and he rubs them on his shirt.

  
"Roberto?" Sam asks.

  
"I'm fine. Give me a minute."

  
He turns to look at the gate. There's an electric mechanism keeping it shut. Beside it, the switch box is hidden behind fake orange rocks. Roberto opens the panel but is incapable of telling which one does what, or even how to open it without electricity.

  
"I think we're going to have to bust the gate," he says.

  
"How?"

  
"Can you push it open?"

  
Sam doesn't answer at first, and Roberto suspects that he's thinking.

  
"I mean...I could try. You better step back."

  
Roberto does as he is told, stepping far away to the side of the gate. He waits, yet still jumps back when Sam collides with the gate, bending the metal so much that he makes it possible to pass through.

  
"Are you okay?" Dani asks Sam.

  
"I'm... not dead," Sam replies with uncertainty.

  
It takes another minute or two for the rest of the group to help Sam to his feet and pass through to the other side. Sam still looks a bit shaken by the sudden impact, his cap in his hand rather than on his head, which he rubs from time to time.

  
They approach the nearest cabin. It's an octagonal dome with white walls and a white door and one window on each side. When they try the handle, they're surprised to find it unlocked.

  
Inside, most of the aesthetic is as white as the outside. There's a queen's sized bed in the middle of the room, with a small table in the corner and a couch in the other. There's a single door, behind which must be the bathroom. The bed isn't made but covered with a plastic sheet, as if to protect it from dust until the next time they can be used.

  
"This one is mine," Illyana decides as she steps into the room and begins emptying her pockets on the table.

  
No one bothers to go against her, and they all go looking for an open cabin. Sam finds one of the bigger ones, with two domes, unlocked. There are two bedrooms separated by a door. He suggests Roberto take the other room, and since Roberto feels way too tired to search for his own cabin, he agrees.

  
Dani and Rahne find an open cabin a bit further down the street. There's a pine growing high above it, putting most of the room under its shadow. As usual, the electricity doesn't work. Dani is quick to pull the protection off the bed, revealing a bare mattress and two puffy pillows.

  
"You think they have sheets somewhere?" she asks as she starts to look through the wardrobe, but only finds hangers.

  
When Rahne doesn't answer, she turns around. Rahne is sitting at the foot of the bed, looking at her feet. Dani frowns lightly. She can see Rahne is thinking, and it's the kind of 'I can't find the right words' that she's come to recognize as Rahne's most comment sort of hesitation. Dani comes to sit beside her.

  
"What's up?" she asks.

  
"Did you sleep last night?" she asks.

  
Dani shrugs vaguely.

  
"Kinda. I woke up in the middle of the night, and then I couldn't fall back to sleep."

  
"Couldn't or wouldn't?"

  
Dani frowns.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
Rahne finally dares to look from her feet, to look at Dani's hands. She takes them in hers.

  
"I don't want to accuse you or anything, but are you trying to stop yourself from sleeping?"

  
Dani's mouth falls open, but before she can try to explain, Rahne continues:

  
"I can see that you're tired, really tired. And I've been there too, you know. I thought that if I didn't sleep then I wouldn't turn without knowing like I did sometimes, but all it does is make you weaker. I didn't stop turning in my sleep because I stopped sleeping, but because I learned how to control it. And you won't stop using your powers in your sleep unless you learn to control it too."

  
Dani purses her lips. She knows everything Rahne is saying is true, but it doesn't stop fear from gnawing at her heart.

  
"But what if... Last night, I dreamed of the spaceship in the haunted house and the alien. What if I had brought the alien to life? What if it had hurt all of you, like really hurt you, before I could get it under control?"

  
Rahne pulls Dani into a hug.

  
"Don't think about that, 'cause it's not happening. I believe in you. And even if it does happen, we'll fight it off. Nothing gets past me. And I'm sure Illyana would love to fight an alien."

  
Dani chuckles lightly. She manages to move her arms to hug Rahne back.

  
"Promise me you won't ever try to pull an all-nighter again, just 'cause you're scared."

  
"I promise."

  
When they pull away, Dani seals her promise with a kiss. Almost as soon as she pulls away, there's a knock on the door.

  
"Come on, we still got a bunch of things to see," Roberto shouts from the other side.

  
Dani stands up to open the door, Rahne right behind her.

  
"What took you so long?" Roberto asks with a stupid smirk on his face. "Breaking the bed already?"

  
Dani frowns.

  
"Is that a guy's thing to think that it takes just two minutes to sleep with a girl?"

  
Behind Roberto, Sam snores. Illyana doesn't laugh but does smirk mockingly at Roberto, who flushes bright red.

  
"No! I mean... Let's go!"

  
He walks off, ignoring Rahne and Dani still snickering behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> My new MoonWolf one-shot is out if you haven't had the opportunity to check it out yet. It's called Paperback, and I think it's pretty great.  
> For those of you who may have grown tired of the amusement park setting, there's just one chapter left or so, and then it's off to some new adventures!  
> Anyway, have a nice Sunday you guys, and I'll see you tomorrow for the next one!


	26. One Last Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens spend their last night at the park.

In her dreams, Dani is back into the spaceship once again. Nothing has changed from the previous night. The alarm is still deafening in her ears. The lights are still flickering in and out, hurting her eyes. She can feel the presence of the alien nearby. But this time, she's not afraid. She's armed.

  
Maybe this isn't exactly what Illyana had in mind when she told her to fight it, but then again maybe it was. Dani has already dreamed of learning archery. Now she has a bow in one hand, a quiver on her back, and she knows exactly what to do. She knocks an arrow on the string, wraps a finger on either side, and waits.

  
The alien doesn't make itself wait for much longer. When it does appear at the end of the hall, all teeth and claws, Dani is swift to draw, aim, and let go. The arrow buries itself deep in the alien's chest. It lets out a scream which shakes the entire spacecraft. Dani takes another arrow and shoots. Then another. The alien recoils, with arrows sticking out of its chest. It disappears into the walls. Dani takes out another arrow and waits. She swallows thickly as nervousness overtakes her hands, and the string begins to slip from her grasp.

  
There's clambering behind the walls, through the pipes and the vent shaft. It moves beside her, then above, and when Dani looks up she can see a trap door, and the glim of saliva, reflecting the flickering light. She jumps out of the way and aims up, just as the creature emerges out of the darkness.

  
Dani awakes with a start. She doesn't sit up, but her sudden shaking is enough to pull Rahne out of sleep. She turns in Dani's arms to face her, her eyes struggling open.  
"You okay?" she sleepily mumbles.

  
Dani smiles and places a kiss on Rahne's forehead.

  
"Yeah, I'm fine."

  
She lets Rahne curl up against her again, and they both go back to sleep.

* * *

It's the sensation of falling through his mattress that forces Roberto out of his dream. Whether it had anything to do with falling, of flying, he can't remember. All he knows is that he's seating in his bed, having the strange feeling that he was plummeting to his death when in reality he hasn't moved. He sighs and lays back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

  
Barely a few beams of moonlight are making their way through the windows. He's laying in a simple bed because he let Sam take the double bed in the other room. It's wide enough that he doesn't fear falling off, but it still reminds him of the center enough that sleeps seems to evade him.

  
He tosses and turns a few times, trying to find a better position, but his eyes refuse to remain shut. They are wide open, staring into the darkness. Finally, after what feels like an eternity but was barely a handful of minutes, Roberto gets out of bed, puts on his shoes, and takes his flashlight to go to the bathroom.

  
He tiptoes through Sam's bedroom without waking him up, shuts the door quietly, and looks around. The whole park is silent, the only light being the beam of his flashlight. He can hear nearby bugs and birds from the forest behind him. He'd thought about going to the woods to go to the bathroom, but unfortunately, with the wall surrounding the cabins, there's no direct access to the forest. Instead, he takes a little trip to the nearest bathroom to use the urinals.

  
Walking through the park at night leaves a flicker of anxiety in his chest. He's used to the center, to the walls and the barred windows and the access to light whenever he wants. All of this dark, open space where anything could appear around the corner doesn't reassure him much. Still, he makes his way to the bathroom without much problem.  
When he emerges out a minute or so later, he's surprised by the cricking sound of the swings moving. He swiftly points the flashlight on them. Illyana is seating there, swinging lightly, Lockheed on her hand. Roberto lets out a sigh of relief.

  
"What are you doing here?" he whispers.

  
"I saw you walking out so I followed you," she says as though it were obvious.

  
"Why? I was just going to the bathroom."

  
Illyana glares at him.

  
"I know that now."

  
Roberto stays still for a few seconds, debating what to do. Finally, he approaches the swings and takes a sit in the one beside Illyana's swing. The metal chains jingle as he sits in, like bells in a Christmas song, but once he's seated, the silence finally returns.

  
"Where did you think I was going?" he asks.

  
Illyana shrugs vaguely.

  
"Back to your family. I know you want to get back to them."

  
Roberto swings himself lightly, both hands on the chains and the flashlight tugged between his legs.

  
"Well, yeah, I want to. I miss my mom. But I can't go back, you said so yourself."

  
"But if you could, right now, wouldn't you?"

  
Roberto thinks about it for a moment. Then, he replies:

  
"Not without you guys. I would bring all of you with me."

  
"Why?" Illyana asks with a frown, visibly confused.

  
"Because you're my friends, and you don't have anywhere else to go. I'm not abandoning you just because I could go home. And, you know, I'm super rich, so I doubt it'll be a problem if I brought you along. We could all be taken care of easily."

  
Illyana falls silent. When Roberto looks at her, her ocean blue eyes are staring ahead. She's expressionless, which isn't uncommon for her, but the icy mask she usually wears is not there at that moment. There's something entirely different going on behind her eyes and Roberto can't tell what, but he's just content to watch and wait.

  
"Let's go back to bed," she finally decides and stands up.

  
Roberto does the same, pushing himself out of the swing. He follows Illyana toward the cabins. As they cross the park, he asks:

  
"What was the test you wanted to do with the thermometer, earlier? You told me you'd be angry if I broke it, but then I did and you said you had what you wanted."

  
Illyana slows down a bit to walk beside him.

  
"There was no test. All I wanted was for you to destroy it."

  
Roberto frowns.

  
"What? Why?"

  
"Because it's fun."

  
Roberto is speechless. Was it fun? Kinda. He almost died but it definitely wasn't the first or the last, and he was kind of impressed by the sight of the machine after he'd destroyed it.

  
Roberto lets out a few chuckles, and Illyana smiles. Not smirks, but smiles, a genuine, happy smile the likes of which Roberto has never seen before. It pinches something in his heart.

  
"Why didn't you just say so?"

  
"Where's the fun in that?"

  
Roberto shrugs with a smile.

  
"Next time just tell me you want me to destroy something and I'll make it extra fun," he says with a wink.

  
When he walks away, he doesn't notice that Illyana lags behind for a moment, before catching up silently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I promised more Illyana and Roberto (or Magikspot as Crossover_King suggested) and I intend to keep that promise.  
> I'm also glad I finally had the opportunity to give Dani a bow, even if it was in a dream.   
> Tomorrow you might have to wait a little for the next chapter. I have class very early and it's the week where I have to be there physically so I won't be able to post until midday at the earliest. So be patient, you'll get your chapter, just not in the early morning like usual.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you'll get the next one tomorrow, I promise!


	27. Following the Tracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens leave the park and return to civilization.

The last of the food is shared by the entrance of the park, as the sun rises above the trees, announcing another bright day. Everyone is carrying a backpack now, stocked with clothes stolen from the storage or costume rooms. Illyana still has the money in her pocket. They're hoping to make it to civilization before nightfall, and hopefully find somewhere to eat on their way. They've already decided that they'll follow the road down into the valley. Once breakfast is over, they take their things with them, take one last look at the park, and walk out.

They begin by walking on the side of the road, through the thicket and under the overgrowing trees. Eventually, Roberto grows tired of bumping his head on every low branch, so he begins walking onto the road. Soon the others imitate him, and the entire group is walking on the cracked asphalt. They haven't seen a car in days, and they understand why when they reach the bottom of the hill. There's a barrier blocking off the road. It seems the road was only leading to the park, and since the park closed, the road closed too.

They reach a larger road with far more cars passing. The side of the road is just as clustered as before, but they have no choice but to walk there. The wind whisks past them every time a car passes over the road. They zigzag between the trees, avoiding thorny bushes whenever possible and walking right through them when necessary. They dare to circle around some trees by walking on the road, but none of them dare to stay on it for too long, especially after they come across their first roadkill of the dozens they assume they'll encounter on their journey.

They stop by a crossroad and analyze the signs longly. Roanoke is 25 miles away to their left. To their right, Richmond is 140 miles away, and DC, 220 miles away.

“So,” Roberto starts. “Do we try to go north and hope to find something there, or do we play it safe?”

“Maybe we shouldn't go back to Roanoke,” Rahne says. “They might just still be looking for us there after what happened with Amanda.”

“You think Essex is still waiting for us there?” Sam asks.

“Could be.”

Dani nods.

“I think so too. I think we better keep going and not go where they might still be looking for us.”

“Fine,” Illyana concedes. “But if we can't find food before the night falls, you can decide which one of you we'll eat.”

She crosses the road just as a car is speeding toward her, forcing the driver to slow down. He honks and Illyana flips him off and continues on. The others wait to make sure they won't get crushed before stepping across the road and following her.

* * *

When the signs begin signaling for the highway, they take a smaller road which brings them back into the deeper parts of the woods. The sun is high above them but they can barely feel it, lost under the dense canopy which protects the road like a roof.

“I think we took a wrong turn,” Roberto eventually says when they take a break to drink whatever water they have left.

Something prickle Rahne's ears, the sound of rhythmic driving, wheels passing over tracks. She approaches the edge of the road. There's a slope, and trees, through which the sound of a train reverberates.

“You saw something?” Dani asks as she stands beside her, looking through the woods too.

“No, I heard a train.”

“A train?” Sam repeats after finishing their last bottle of water. “Maybe we could jump on one. It'll be much faster to travel.”

“You've ever jumped onto a moving train?” Rahne asks.

Sam shrugs.

“We've climbed a Ferris wheel and crossed a highway. How hard can it be?”

They all shrug. Sam's plan is the best one anyone has come up with since the sun has risen.

“Let's check it out,” Roberto says.

Rahne guides them through the woods until they emerge on the other side, in the middle of an old railway. The long train Rahne heard passing is disappearing around the bend. The tracks are old and grass has grown through the mostly rotted planks of wood. There are two sets of tracks, one on either side. Further down the tracks is a bridge over which the highway crosses.

“Let's follow the train,” Dani suggests.

They do, following up a slight incline and around a hill. The tracks then become flat once again, though it doesn't make it any easier to walk beside, as the ground is covered with rocks. Eventually, Illyana grows tired of the uneven ground and stands on one of the tracks, and begins walking there.

“Be careful,” Sam warns. “If you get your foot stuck under the track or something...”

Illyana rolls her eyes.

“We're not in a cartoon, you know.”

After a moment, Roberto joins her on the tracks as well. Dani and Rahne, on the other hand, walk at the edge of the slope, where there are fewer rocks. Sam follows them eventually, also tired of stepping on stones.

* * *

They've been following the tracks for almost an hour when the spot the station. They didn't get to hop onto the back of any train, much to Illyana's disappointment. Before they can be spotted, they jump over the fence and follow the road to the station, hoping to take a train north. However, they quickly realize that it is a commercial station, where containers are loaded and unloaded on the trains, supposedly without passengers.

It doesn't take long for them to find the edge of a city. There's a supermarket and fast-food at every crossroads. Signs leading downtown or to the mall are hanging over the streets. There are cars everywhere, and it takes a moment for the teens, who haven't seen any signs of civilization in two days, to remember that they weren't alone in the world.

“How about a trip to the supermarket?” Roberto says, pushed by the empty feeling in his stomach.

“Maybe not right now,” Dani replies.

The others look at her curiously.

“Don't get me wrong, I'm hungry too, but...”

She points to another sign, indicating the way to the bus station.

“How about we see how far we can go with all the money we have first, and then we buy some food.”

When the others seem unconvinced, she continues:

“We are not going to get our hands on that much money again in a while, not... legally, anyway. I say we get as far away from here as we can, make sure Essex loses us before we get food.”

“But food is important,” Roberto complains.

“It is, but we can buy food for a few days and take two weeks to walk to DC, or we can buy food for just today, but be in Baltimore by tonight.”

Rahne nods. After a moment of consideration, Sam agrees:

“It's a good idea.”

Illyana says:

“Fine. But I won't hesitate to steal more money if we go for too long without food.”

With a sigh, Roberto relents:

“Alright. Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter is brought to you by the university's broken wifi (literally). I could barely open AO3. AO3!  
> Anyway, we're leaving the Astroport, finally. I mean, it was a longer break on their journey than the farm, but I felt it was also more interesting and they did a lot more things, so I feel justified in spending fifteen chapters in an abandoned amusement park.  
> Tomorrow's chapter is among the ones I'd first imagined when I came up with the story, it's going to be interesting. However, much like today, I start classes too early to post it before I go, so it'll have to wait either around 10 a. m. when I have a break, or midday like today if I can't make the school's internet cooperate. Either way, you'll get a chapter!


	28. The Dog is Paying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens make it to the bus station and find themselves face to face with another obstacle.

The bus station is downtown, an old red brick building with thin, long windows. The doors look as old as the building. It has left deep grooves into the stone ground. When they reach the station, the old metal clock is about to reach four in the afternoon. A few people are coming and going, but it's a rather quiet afternoon for the end of August.

  
As the teens make their way toward the door, something catches Rahne's eyes. There's an abandoned newspaper on a bench nearby, and every time a car drives by, the first few pages fly open and shut. She stops and takes the newspaper, prompting the others to stop and watch her do. She flips through the pages hurriedly until she finds what she's looking for. On page six, there's an article about a group of teenagers robbing a gas station and sending the owner to the hospital, the same teens that are under investigation for the destruction of another convenient store in Hamsburg. There's a detailed description of Illyana, Roberto, Sam, and Dani, along with their picture ripped from the security footage. They are said to be accompanied by a dog.

  
Rahne's eyes flutter over the article, then she shows it to her friends.

  
"We have a problem."

  
Dani is quick to take the newspaper, and read through it, while the others look at the pictures over her shoulder. Instantly, Roberto begins to panic.

  
"Oh, shit! This is really bad!"

  
He snatches the newspaper from Dani's hands and throws it in the nearest trashcan.

  
"We have to get out of here, now."

  
"We can still make it to Baltimore," Dani replies.

  
"Yeah, in a week or two," Roberto says.

  
"No, right now."

  
Roberto looks at her as if she's mad, and hasn't noticed the newspaper at all. The others are curious as to what she's proposing.

  
"Look, they're looking for the four of us. Not Rahne. She can buy the tickets. Then it's just a matter of changing our appearances a bit. We've already mostly changed our clothing. We scatter and don't enter the bus all at once. It should be fine."

  
Roberto shakes.

  
"This is never going to work! We are so getting caught."

  
"I think it's worth a try," Rahne replies with a slightly shaky voice.

  
Roberto rolls his eyes.

  
"Of course you'd think that!"

  
"No, I think she's right," Sam says. "People don't pay as much attention as you think they do."

  
Roberto looks over at Illyana, hoping she will side with me.

  
"Illy, come on. Tell me you don't think this is a good idea."

  
"It's not. But it's the best we have right now."

  
With another groan, Roberto finally relents.

  
"I'm warning you, if anything goes wrong, I'm flying out of here."

* * *

They give all their money to Rahne who stuffs it in her pants pocket. She's the first to go inside the station. Her hands are shaking in her sweater's pockets, and she's sweating profusely, but she knows the others are counting on her, so she does her best to stay calm. There's a small queue waiting by the ticket office. She takes her place in the line and waits. Her heart is hammering in her chest, and she knows she's looking around nervously even though she's trying not too.

  
From the corner of her eyes, she sees Dani walking into the station and going straight to the bathroom. Sam shouldn't be far behind. There's also a security guard standing by the door, and another one on the platform. A few people are waiting in the chairs in the center of the station, and reading the local newspaper.

  
"Miss?"

  
Rahne turns around to notice the woman behind the counter calling her forward. She steps in front of her swiftly.

  
"Sorry..."

  
Feeling her windpipe coated with fear, she clears her throat.

  
"I'd like five tickets for the next bus to Baltimore, please."

  
The woman nods and looks through her computer.

  
"Five?"

  
She looks back at Rahne who can't help but bite her lower lip.

  
"Yes. I'm traveling with friends but they're still wandering around the town. They'll be here in no time."

  
She's not exactly lying, but she feels God might not care about this technicality. Just one more thing to confess the next time she goes to church. If she ever returns to church.

  
"We have a bus leaving for Baltimore at five. You should get there around midnight."

  
Rahne tries to hold in her smile of relief.

  
"That's... That's perfect."

  
"For five tickets, that'll be $74.95."

  
Coldness sips into Rahne's chest. That's almost all of their money. How will they eat with less than two dollars with them? She doesn't show it, though, and simply begins to pull the bills out of her pockets. They're a bit crumbled, but after making sure there's enough money, she passes it on to the woman. A few moments later, she gets her change back, and five bus tickets.

  
"Thank you," Rahne says as she pockets the coins and takes the tickets in her hand.

  
The tickets indicate platform 5, so that's where she heads. No one is waiting there yet, so she stands by a soda machine. How much she wouldn't give for a soda, but how to share it with the others. They're not supposed to make contact until they've crossed the border into DC.

  
She's still deep in her thoughts, staring at the tickets when a hand suddenly passes by and snatches 3 tickets. She looks up alarmingly but doesn't protest when she sees Illyana. It is Illyana because Lockheed is tugged in her pockets, but she's done a good work of hiding herself. Her hair is tied into a ponytail, and there are thick glasses on her nose – how did she get her hands on glasses, Rahne doesn't want to know. She's chewing gum loudly and looking even more insufferable than usual.

  
Rahne is pulled out of her staring when she hears someone clearing their voice beside her. She looks to her right, and can barely tell Dani is standing beside her. Her hair is tugged into a cap, and between her shirt and sweater, you'd be excused to think that she was a boy. Even as she speaks, she tries to lower her voice.

  
"My ticket?" she asks, limiting herself to a small amount of word because she knows her 'manly voice' isn't very convincing.

  
"Yeah," Rahne replies, handing the ticket to Dani.

  
Dani doesn't take it. Instead, she wraps an arm around Rahne's shoulders and pulls her close.

  
"Thanks, babe," she says, placing a kiss on Rahne's temple.

  
Rahne doesn't have much time to think about how funny it must look, with Dani trying to look bigger and taller than she is, even though they are the exact same size. Roberto and Sam walk past her, and it takes her a moment to realize that they've exchange clothes. Roberto is wearing Sam's old red cap, his old sweater, and even his shoes. Meanwhile, Sam is wearing a tee-shirt, showing off his cast proudly, and his hair has been styled the way Roberto usually wears it. When they reunite with Illyana, she gives them their tickets and hands Roberto another pair of glasses to complete his ensemble. Sam takes his ticket and continues to walk further down the platform, and sits down on a bench. He picks up a discarded newspaper and flips through.

  
Rahne glances at the clock. The bus isn't due for another forty-five minutes. She takes in a nervous breath and starts praying that they make it onto the bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Rahne getting tickets for everyone while they all scurry to the bathroom to change was amongst the things I knew I absolutely wanted for this story, so I hope you enjoyed it too.  
> I managed to arrive early enough that I can post this chapter early, but I have class in a few minutes now, so I'll see you guys tomorrow for the next one!


	29. Joyous Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens embark on a six hours bus trip.

When the bus for Baltimore arrives, a few passengers come out and get their suitcases out. A few other people are waiting on the platform beside them, mostly lone travelers or young couples. They scatter along the line, tickets in hands. Rahne and Dani are among the first to step inside. They take seats in the first half of the bus. Sam walks in alone. He sits by the back door. Illyana and Roberto are last to go in, and they purposefully seat at the end of the bus.

  
The doors are closed, and Rahne and Dani let out a collective sigh of relief. The bus backs out, but neither of them dares to speak for now. They watch carefully. Some of the travelers around them had fallen asleep, and are shaken awake by the engine turning back on. Others have retreated to themselves, reading or watching things on their phones. Rahne suddenly misses the pile of books she's accumulated back in her bedroom at the center. But thankfully, she has Dani with her.

  
Dani is leaning over her to look out of the window with her. Rahne takes her hand and squeezes it, making Dani smile. They watch together as the bus leaves the station, and joins the traffic. Still, they don't dare to celebrate, and almost hold their breath until the bus reaches the highway. Then and only then Dani side hugs Rahne and whispers in her ear:

  
"We did it. Good job."

  
Rahne smiles. She leans in and whispers back:

  
"All I did was buy the tickets. But that disguise..."

  
Dani chuckles.

  
"What? Do you like Daniel better?" she teases.

  
"Not in a million years," Rahne assures.

  
Dani places a kiss at the corner of her mouth, but pulls away, aware that the front of the bus is not a good place to start making out. Instead, she places her head on Rahne's shoulder so she can look out of the window with her.

  
They've been driving for a few minutes when Rahne remembers their slight money problem.

  
"I don't know how we're going to eat tonight," she says quietly. "We only have about two dollars left. I think we greatly underestimated how expensive five bus tickets would be."

  
Dani doesn't move away from the Rahne, on the contrary, she leans closer.

  
"We might want to wait to tell the others that. I don't want to lie, I'm still a bit scared of Illyana making good on her promise to eat one of us."

  
Rahne chuckles.

  
"Either that or she's actually going to rob a supermarket or something."

  
"If your conscience is alright with it, we could eat at a restaurant and leave before paying."

  
Rahne purses her lips.

  
"I mean..."

  
The sigh catches in her throat as if she couldn't believe what she was about to say.

  
"At this point... Maybe I should start writing down everything that I'm going to have to confess the next opportunity I have. It's gonna cost me a lot of 'Hail Mary'..."

  
Dani offers her girlfriend a comforting smile.

  
"I promise, the first chance we get, we'll find a church so you can do what you have to do there. I'll even make sure Illyana doesn't steal candles or something."

  
Rahne chuckles.

  
"I'm okay. I'm not even sure..."

  
Her hand lifts on its own to the mark on her neck but stops short of it.

  
"Maybe they won't even let me in."

  
Dani purses her lips, looking for her words.

  
"I'll make sure they do," Dani finally says. "We'll find one of those churches where they fly the rainbow flag over the door or something, they're bound to be nice."

  
Rahne chuckles and snuggles closer to Dani.

* * *

At the back of the bus, Roberto and Illyana have been keeping busy as best as they can. They've gone through an entire notebook worth of tic-tac-toe, to the point that Illyana pushed it too far and tried to outsmart Roberto three moves ahead. But when they realized they still had five hours until their destination, they both lost the will to play.

  
"How can anyone spend six hours sitting in a bus," Illyana complains, Lockheed on her hand.

  
The purple dragon has gotten hold of pencils and is drawing mindlessly over Roberto and Illyana's games, in such a manner that Roberto becomes half convinced the puppet has been sentient this entire time.

  
"It's just like taking the plane," Roberto replies. "You've never taken the plane before?"

  
"What do you think? That I came swimming to America?"

  
Roberto gives a vague shrug.

  
"I just don't remember it," Illyana adds.

  
Roberto nods in understanding. He, too, could barely remember the trip which had taken him to the center.

  
"What do you do, to waste time on the plane?" Illyana asks.

  
"Depends. Usually, there are screens to watch movies on. I'd bring my Gameboy with me. My mom likes to read books. My dad used to work on his computer."

  
"We can't do any of those things," Illyana points out.

  
"Let's just find another game to play. Do you still have the cards from the farm?"

  
"No, you guys told me not to steal anything, so I left them there."

  
Roberto falls silent. He wouldn't have imagined that she had listened to them.

  
"Okay, we can do something else..."

  
He just can't seem to think of something to occupy them both. He thinks back to the lie detector test they had done for fun, back at the center, and says:

  
"How about that. I say something, and you have to guess if it's a lie or the truth, and then we switch."

  
Illyana smirks.

  
"Alright, but I'll know if you lie about lying."

  
"I'll be completely honest if you are."

  
"Deal."

  
Their eyes met. Illyana's blue eyes are icy, staring deeply at Roberto's brown, warmer eyes. Roberto decides to start:

  
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cook."

  
"That's the truth," Illyana replies quickly. "You told us already."

  
"Actually, it's a lie. I told you my mom taught me how to cook, but I didn't want to be a cook. I wanted to be a football player."

  
Illyana smirks.

  
"Nicely played. My turn."

She takes a moment to think.

  
"If I had to go out with any of you, I'd go out with Sam."

  
Roberto frowns, uncertain. He stammers as he says:

  
"That's a... lie?"

  
She smirks again.

  
"It is. Your turn."

  
"Wait, who would you go out with, then?"

  
"I thought this game wasn't about asking questions."

  
Roberto stares at Illyana.

  
"Fine."

  
He's in the process of thinking about something else when there's the sudden sound of air being disturbed beside them. He looks up, just in time to see a demon standing beside him. It has blue skin and sharp teeth, with pointed ears, a tail, and only three fingers. It reaches for both him and Illyana. He barely has the time to grab his backpack before everything goes dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger? Don't I have any shame?!  
> On another note, there are only eight chapters left to this story. How crazy is that?  
> Don't forget to tune in tomorrow to find out what the hell is going on, and I will see you then!


	30. Versus the Clones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens once again come face to face with trouble.

Roberto lands heavily on the ground. He can hear Illyana landing beside him. When he looks up, he can see Sam, Rahne and Dani already ready for a fight. He stands up quickly. The blue demon is standing on all fours over a truck. And he's not alone. There are two dozen soldiers around them, and two people standing beside the truck. One they recognize as the mysterious woman who attacked them a few days prior. The other is a man in his late twenties, with brown hair and vivid blue eyes.

“Illy?”

Illyana is also quick to stand back on her feet, despite the rough landing. She's clenching her fist and staring at the soldiers. A man in a black suit appears from behind the soldiers.

“Children, I think we've played enough games now. It is time to go home. Get into the truck and there will be no repercussion. But if you don't cooperate...”

All the soldiers raise their gun at once, aiming at them.

“How long does it take you to get Lockheed?” Roberto asks lowly.

“He's waiting,” Illyana replies.

“Then get ready to go get him.”

Roberto clenches his fists. He glances over at Sam who nods. They're not going down without a fight. Dani and Rahne glance at each other. There's fear in their eyes but also love. Dani can't help but think of the bear. If you're in me listening, please help us.

“Last chance,” the man warns. “On the count to three. One. Two.”

“Three!” Roberto calls, as his clothes are incinerated.

He pushes himself high up into the sky, prompting the soldiers to aim at him, instead of the others. They don't react fast enough when Sam charges up and throws himself full force at the truck. A few soldiers are pushed out of the way, but the blue demon teleports away, leaving only smoke behind. The truck is thrown against the nearest tree, crumbling like an accordion against the force of Sam's attack. While he tries to get back to his feet, the woman with a katana tries to swipe at him. He closes his eyes fearfully. Another blade collides with the katana, in a shock so intense that it snaps the blade of the katana in half.

Illyana is back from Limbo already, with her usual sword. However, she's wearing more armor than before, as the beginning of a breastplate creeps over her collarbone. Lockheed is standing on her shoulder, and her eyes are glowing. The small dragon takes flight and spews fires on the soldiers.

“I thought I warned you to stay away,” Illyana says as she forces the woman away from Sam. “This time, I won't leave until I see the light disappear from your eyes.”

* * *

As soon as Roberto has flown up, Rahne lets go of Dani's hands and shifts. She throws herself at the nearest mercenary and tears him to shred. Dani doesn't want to run, but she knows she's at a disadvantage. She stays low and runs, to hide behind the nearest tree. She closes her eyes and keeps a hand to her chest, feeling her heart hammer against her ribs as she tries to focus. She thinks of the demon bear, begs it to fight for her. She's too shaken to think about anyone else's fears, only her own. She can't focus, not when her friends are out there fighting.

She's pulled out of her thoughts when she feels snow falling on her face. There's rumbling coming through the trees. It looks like a tornado. But she hears the roar and she recognizes it. This is no tornado. The glowing eyes peek through the trees, staring down at her. There's no aggression in them, just purpose.

“Let's go save our friends.”

* * *

Roberto lands amidst a group of mercenaries, and fire spreads over the grass. The flames lick at their clothes and body armor. Roberto starts punching indiscriminatingly. He's angry, and he puts all that anger in his fists, sending armed men flying all around the clearing. Suddenly, there's a flash of white light, and something cold hits him in the chest and sends him back. Roberto tumbles but is quick to catch himself.

The brown-haired man from before is standing in front of him, ready to face him. His skin turns white and sparkly, like ice. Roberto stands back up, fist clenched. He lets his body heat up, turning dark and darker. He holds out his hands, and a heat ray shoots toward the man. The iceman is quickly to retaliate with a beam of his own. They meet into a spray of heated steam, which burns the mercenaries standing too close.

Roberto smirks, thinking he has the advantage, as fire burns the ice. But his enemy is stronger, more trained, and quickly, the battle turns against him, as the beam of ice grows closer and closer to him, and he feels his knees buckle under the strength.

The beam suddenly disappears as the man stumbles. Rahne ran past him, and despite his icy form, her claws cut deep through his calf, making him stumble and lose his focus. Roberto takes a moment to breath. Unfortunately for him, the sky is turning gray, and the sun is disappearing. Snow has begun falling on the battlefield.

Rahne continues to run away from the iceman, hoping Roberto will take his chance, but she suddenly stumbles as her legs are trapped in ice. The man is coming her way. She fearfully struggles, as her claws dig deep into the ice. She pulls and pulls to get herself free before it's too late.

There's a sudden roar through the woods, a sound that she recognizes and should bring terror into her bones, but instead, chases the fear in her chest away. The trees at the edge are toppled as a massive shadowy bear breaks through, bringing wind and snow with it. Dani is riding on its back, impossible perched on top of the smoky fur. The bear roars again and charges forward.

It claws through mercenaries like butter, then turns to the iceman. He tries to freeze the bear in place, but his beams of ice go through the bear. He doesn't move out of the way quickly enough, and gets caught under its massive paw. The bear presses down and down on him, until the ice breaks, and the man shatters into hundreds of pieces.

“Yeah Dani!” Roberto cheers her own.

He runs up to Rahne to help get her feet out of the ice, while Dani makes the bear turn around and fight the mercenaries still up.

* * *

Illyana doesn't struggle as much this time as she did during their first fight. However, she's frustrated that there is no recollection in the woman's eyes, no fire for vengeance. It would have made things more interesting.

Illyana parries her energy blade and kicks the woman in the belly, where she knows she dug her blade into before. The woman stumbles but doesn't keel over in pain like someone with a fresh scar would. When she tries to attack, Illyana teleports away. Flames suddenly come to lick her back, and the woman whirls around. Lockheed doesn't have enough time to avoid the blow, and the purple energy blade scraps his side. He tumbles to the ground with a yelp. Illyana instantly reappears beside him.

“Lockheed, no!”

She kneels by his side. The dragon struggles back on his feet. There's a dark mark on his side, which almost cut off one of his wings. Illyana picks him up in one arm and cradles him close to her chest.

“I've got you.”

She whirls around and glares at the woman.

“You bitch! You're dead for this!”

She charges with all her strength and tries to cut the woman's throat. The woman deflects easily, forcing Illyana to jump out of the way or she, too, would have been wounded. She doesn't have the time to avoid another vertical strike, and she places her arm with the magical armor in the way. The blade racks over the metal, leaving a dark mark behind but not cutting through. Illyana surges forward, knocking the woman off her feet with her shoulder. However, before she can finish her off, a scream echoes in the clearing.

Illyana turns around just in time to see the blue demon grab Dani off the bear and teleport away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I couldn't post this chapter earlier today. There's been talk of shutting the university close for the next few weeks so I needed to take a trip to the library to get a few books to research my thesis before I went to class. Long story short, this is the last time this will happen, don't worry.  
> I sort of stretched everyone's powers to their limits in this chapter. I don't know if Dani can use the demon bear as her personal bodyguard, but I think it's kinda cool so I went with it. Also this is the part where I tried to make sense of the movieverse and untangle the mess that it has become. Since we've been teased Essex for a while, I imagined Essex probably owned the genetic codes to a bunch of mutants and they've been cloning them. I do my best with what l'm given...  
> Anyway, I'll see you guys tomorrow for the next chapter!


	31. The Storm Before the Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens fight on through a heavy snowstorm.

Dani doesn't see him coming. One second, she's fighting off mercenaries, and the next, the blue demon appears beside her, grabs her by the jacket, and teleports away. She closes her eyes fearfully. The air becomes impossibly colder around her, and for a second, she feels as though she's flying. Then, she opens her eyes, just to see the demon let go of her, and disappear again. She falls.

  
The ground grows terrifyingly closer too quickly, yet everything seems to slow around her. The bear is dissipating because she lost her focus. The snowstorm is subsiding. On the ground, she can see Rahne and Roberto running up to her, to try and catch her. Illyana looks up at her, and the mysterious woman stands back up and attacks once again. Sam is charging up, and for a moment, she has hope that he might catch her. But when he shots up, he flies above her and misses her by a foot. She plummeting to the ground. This is the end. Dani closes her eyes and waits to the impact.

  
She's stopped suddenly and slowly all at once. She stops falling and glides down to the ground. At first, she just thinks she's dreaming, that it's just her soul being pushed out of her body. When she opens her eyes, however, she finds that the wind has picked up under her and is carrying her gently to the ground. A few feet from her, Sam has received the same treatment, preventing him from colliding with the trees.

  
Despite the bear being gone, the snowstorm picks up once more. It's so strong, it pushes the mercenaries back and blinds them. When Dani touches the ground, the wind around her disappears completely. Rahne and Roberto rush up to her. Rahne hugs her. She's shaking in her arms and trying to hold in her tears.

  
"Did you do that?" Roberto asks.

  
Dani shakes her head. While the storm grows stronger in front of them, it is completely gone behind them. That's when they see it. A black jet, large, hovering by the trees. Sam is already standing on the platform, beside a dark-skinned woman, with snow-white hair. He's motioning for them.

  
Dani picks up Roberto and Illyana's backpack on the ground and takes Rahne's hand in the other. The three of them run to the jet. Sam helps the girls in while Roberto floats himself up to the platform, mindful of the people around him.

  
"Where's Illy?" he asks Sam.

  
"She's still fighting."

  
"I'll go get her," the woman says without looking at them, though Roberto isn't certain that she can, as her eyes are stark white. "You stay inside."

  
She flies off of the jet and disappears through the snowstorm. Roberto wants to hang around and wait, but Sam tries to pull him further without touching him.

  
"Come on. I'm sure Illy's fine."

  
After a moment of reluctance, Roberto moves deeper into the ship in search of a place to get dressed.

* * *

Illyana is struggling to keep the woman at bay, especially with one arm holding Lockheed. All her muscles are aching from the constant tension, and the fear slowly seeping into her bones. There's a snowstorm raging around them, and Illyana isn't certain what happened to Dani, if she's crashed on the ground or if Sam managed to save her.

  
She's so distracted that she doesn't avoid a punch to the temple when it comes. She struggles to remain upright as black dots explode behind her eyes. She can see the purple glow of the blade through the snow, and she lifts her sword to protect herself. The blades collide heavily, pushing Illyana on her knees. In her arms, Lockheed lets out a fearful yelp.

  
Electricity appears through the storm, blasting the woman away from her and into the nearest tree. Illyana struggles back to her feet. A woman emerges out of the blizzard. She floats down and the white veil over her eyes disappears. She holds out a hand for Illyana to take.

  
"Come. I'll take you to your friends."

  
Illyana almost runs the other way, on principle alone. But she's tired, and Lockheed needs to be taken care of. So she follows. The woman takes her through the storm, to a plane hovering nearby. When she sees Roberto standing by the platform, she almost runs up to him. He helps her in and once the woman is inside, the plane takes off.

* * *

The jet is piloted by a silver-haired man. Almost as soon as the jet speeds away, he starts cracking jokes:

  
"You're lucky we got there right on time or you would have made quite the impact."

  
He chuckles to his own joke. None of the kids laugh. They are huddled together at the back of the plane, seated on the ground even though there are seats. Rahne is clinging to Dani and softly sobbing in her shoulder, as fear leaves her body. Illyana is nursing Lockheed. She wants to bring him back to Limbo where he can heal, but she doesn't want to leave her friends unprotected either. Roberto is visibly tired and in need of sunlight. Sam's hands are shaking.

  
"Sorry," he says to Dani.

  
Dani shakes her head lightly.

  
"You tried your best."

  
After talking to the pilot, the woman comes to talk to the group. She's wearing a black and white uniform with a large X on the shoulder.

  
"Are you kids okay?" she asks, and they can feel it's not fake, like when Reyes spoke to them, but that she truly cares.

  
Dani nods.

"We've been looking for you for quite some time now. We should have known Essex had you locked up somewhere."

  
Sam frowns.

  
"Wait, you knew about us?"

  
"We make an effort to keep track of any incident that may come from a new mutant emerging. Unfortunately, sometimes, Essex is faster than us. But you're safe with us now, Essex would never dare to go after you now that you're with us."

  
"You're the X-men, right?" Rahne asks with a strangled voice as she lifts her head from Dani's shoulder and brushes the tears out of her eyes.

  
"We are," the woman confirms. "My name is Ororo Munroe, but everyone calls me Storm. The unfunny one in the piloting seat is Peter."

  
"Are you taking us to the mansion?" Roberto asks.

  
"No, we'll just drop you off at the next bus stop," Peter jokes.

  
"And what if we don't want to come with you," Illyana asks with a cold voice none of her friends had heard in a while.

  
"I understand that you might not want to be locked up somewhere again, but you'll have to stay with us, at least until we're sure Essex isn't looking for you anymore. Now I recommend you take a seat because Peter is not the best pilot around."

  
Storm walks back to the co-pilot seat while Peter complains loudly that she's lying. Sam stands up and moves to take a seat. After a moment, Dani helps Rahne up. The seats are too far apart to hold hands through over the central row, so they take seats one behind the other, and Dani lets her arm hang back for Rahne to hold her hand. It's not the most comfortable position, but it's the best they have right now. Finally, Roberto gets up and holds out his hand for Illyana to take. After a moment of hesitation, she does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Finally, I get to introduce the last arc of this story, the X-men arc!  
> In other news yesterday I slipped and skinned my knee on a sewer grid. My mother warned me it was going to bruise but I thought I could take it, and it did bruise, and now I can barely walk! Thank god I'm following classes from home next week...  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	32. Mutant High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens arrive at Jean Grey's School of Higher Learning.

The flight is shorter than the teens imagined. When they arrive, the sun is falling over the horizon, turning the sky pink. There's a large mansion under them, and it looks just a bit more inviting than the center. The basketball court opens in half and the jet disappears under the ground. They land in a large hanger bathed in white light. Once the jet has landed and the engine is turned off, Storm and Peter stand up, prompting the teens to do the same.

  
"Let's go talk in my office," Storm tells them. "Peter, can you bring them something to eat, and make sure they have a bed for tonight."

  
"Got it, boss."

  
He walks quickly down the ramp and into the hangar. As the teens get up and pick up their things, they can hear him talking to someone standing in the hangar.

"Come with me."

  
Storm walks out of the plane and the teens follow. At the bottom of the ramp is a giant man of metal. He talks quickly and nervously to Storm with a thick accent, and they've heard it often enough that they recognize it as the same as Illyana's accent.

  
"Peter said you found them..."

  
His voice dies down as his eyes fall on the teens, before zeroing on Illyana. She makes her discomfort known quickly, as she glares at him and says:

  
"What are you staring at, tin can?"

  
She walks past him, and for a second the others think she's gonna shoulder him, but she simply brushes past him. Storm watches the interaction, then tells the teen:

  
"You go on ahead to the elevator, I'll be right there."

  
The teens exchange nervous glances, but do as they are told, and continue out of the hangar and into the blue metal hallway. Illyana has disappeared, and for a second they fear she might have gone to snoop around. But a portal to Limbo opens beside them and Illyana walks out.

  
"Is Lockheed okay?" Dani asks.

  
"He'll be better once he's rested," Illyana says as she tugs the purple dragon puppet into the back pocket of her pants.

  
"Hey," Roberto says, "they have their own Russkie on the team."

  
Illyana rolls her eyes.

  
"Russian men are lower than pigs," she says with venom in her voice. "They are monsters."

  
None of the others dare to correct Illyana on her oversimplification. Instead, they wait in silence until Storm returns, a polite smile on her lips.

  
"Alright, let's go to my office."

* * *

The elevator takes them to the hall of the mansion, with wood everywhere, on the ground, the walls, and the ceiling. The chandeliers have been turned on. Kids are running up and down the stairs and through the hallways until they see Storm and they instantly slow down.

  
"No running in the hallways, guys, we've talked about this!"

  
A kid with gray, stone-like skin looks sheepishly at Storm and walks up to the end of the corridor before hurrying along.

  
"This way."

  
Storm leads them to her office, right by the entrance of the mansion. It's a large office with a massive wooden desk in the middle, a couch in a corner, and two seats in front of the desk. The window behind the desk covers almost the entire wall.

  
Illyana takes place on the couch and so the others follow, and soon they are all squeezed into the leather couch. Storm goes to her desk, where she leaves her gloves in the desk drawer and pulls out a few pieces of paper. Then, she comes to sit in the armchair across from the couch.

  
"Before we go through with your enrollment, I need to ask you a few questions about where you were and what they did to you if you don't mind."

  
"What do you mean by enrollment?" Illyana asks.

  
"I mean I need to add you to our list of students. I don't expect you to follow the classes yet, especially if you don't want to, but I hope that eventually, you will."

  
Storm pauses, waiting for any other questions. When none comes, she asks:

  
"Do you know where they were keeping you?"

  
The teens glance at each other. Then, finally, they start telling their story. About the center and Reyes. About the experiments she did on them. About Dani, and how they got out. About Essex pursuing them, even after they left. They all talk, except Illyana who doesn't feel incline to share, even when the others invite her to. When they're done, the sun is gone, and the sky is dark outside. Peter has returned mid-story with sandwiches and cookies for all of them, which they ravenously eat through. When their tale comes to an end, Storm seems satisfied with the story.

  
"We've been trying to take down Essex for years now. Ever since we heard about the experiment they've made. They've been cloning and experimenting and mutants for decades now, selling them as weapons."

  
"So you mean they could clone us too?" Dani asks with a quiver in her voice.

  
"I imagine they could, and they might. But we'll get them. We're close now."

  
Illyana rolls her eyes as if she doesn't believe a word of it.

  
"Now let's get you enrolled, and then you should get some rest."

  
She hands them all the same forms and pens, and they start to fill them in. Some things are easy enough to fill in. Names, date of birth. Illyana struggles as soon as the names of her parents are asked. Instead of asking what she should do, she leaves it empty. Dani isn't certain what to write down in the 'mutation' so she asks Storm for help. Sam almost doesn't fill in any references concerning his parents, but when he sees the 'do not contact' box under it, he swiftly checks it and moves on. When confronted with the same box, Roberto struggles almost checks it, but finally leaves it empty.

  
Once all the forms are filled in and handed to Storm, she takes them with a smile.

  
"I'll show you to your bedrooms now."

  
The clock is about to strike ten p. m., and they are all very tired from their day.

  
"Tomorrow morning you'll all go through the check-up to make sure you're all fine, and then you're free to go to class or not."

  
"And if we don't want to go through with the check-up?" Illyana asks.

  
"Then we can't force you, but that cut on your neck looks pretty bad. It would be better if we made sure it's not infected."

  
Illyana passed a hand over the scratch on her neck. The scar doesn't hurt anymore, and she doubts it's infected, but she also doesn't want to die over something so stupid.

  
Storm leads them up the stairs to the second floor. Almost as soon as she appears, all the kids and teenagers in the hallways calm down and scurry to their bedrooms.

  
"It's almost bedtime," she says loudly, both for the group and all the other kids.

  
They stop in front of a door, with two single beds inside.

  
"Two girls here. Another one in the bedroom across the hall with Amara and the two boys will be further down the hall."

  
Illyana shakes her head.

  
"I'm not going in someone else's bedroom, and you are not separating these two."

  
Just to prove her point, she walks into the room and claims the nearest bed.

  
"You can't be at three in the same bedroom."

  
"We don't mind sharing a bed," Dani assures.

  
"But it's against the rules."

  
"With Illyana, it's better to just give her what she wants, or you'll probably get stabbed," Roberto explains.

  
After a moment, Storm sighs.

  
"Fine. For now. But eventually, someone is going to have to leave the room."

  
"I'll bring a bed over," Illyana says, and they all know she's capable of it.

  
Storm sighs again and takes the boys over to their room.

  
"We're sorry for Illyana's behavior. She's not the easiest to live with," Sam says.

  
"No, it's fine. She's not the first and she won't be the last. Trust me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so glad that I can finally reveal that secret I've been seating on for weeks now: Colossus is alive, and at the X-mansion! Can't wait for all that drama with Illyana to unravel...  
> Anyway, I hope you have a nice Sunday and I'll see you tomorrow for the next chapter!


	33. Medical Check-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens spend their first morning at the school.

Sleeping is no trouble after the day of walking and fighting they've had. Even Rahne and Dani, stuck in a single bed, have no trouble cuddling together and sleep dreamlessly. In the morning, they are awakened by kids walking up and down into the hallway, and it takes them a moment to remember where they are. Illyana is already awake and drawing in her notebook with one hand while petting the plush of Lockheed with the other.

  
The three of them go down to breakfast together. All the eyes of the other students are fixed on them, and while it makes Rahne and Dani uncomfortable, a good glare from Illyana is enough to make everyone stop. They go to the dining hall, where long tables with utensils and many, many boxes of cereals are left for anyone quick enough to grab them. The room is loud as everyone is chatting. The trio find seats at the end of a table, they grab whatever they can, and even though neither Illyana nor Rahne really wants to eat cereals, they're not used to how everything works around here enough to ask for something else.

  
Illyana is digging into her bowl quickly, trying to finish her breakfast as quickly as she can, when the metal man from the hangar walks up to her, a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. It takes a moment for the girls to recognize him, as he's not wearing his metal skin this time. But his size betrays him. Once again, he's staring at Illyana.  
Dani and Rahne watch as he speaks to her in Russian, and Illyana's entire body freezes, like a block of ice.

  
"Leave me alone," she replies in English, refusing to look at him.

  
Again, he speaks to her in Russian. She stands up swiftly, and for a second, Dani and Rahne fear she might attack him. Illyana's fists are clenched, but there are no swords there yet. Around them, the room has grown mostly quiet, as most of the kids have noticed the blonde teen facing down Colossus without fear, even though she's a full head smaller than him.

  
"I said leave me alone. And stop trying to talk to me."

  
She stares him down and waits. Finally, the man seems to shrink under her gaze.

  
"I'm sorry," he says sheepishly. "I thought you might have liked someone to speak in our mother's tongue with, but I see I was wrong."

  
He leaves his empty bowl on a table and walks out of the room. Everyone around them begins to whisper about how they've never seen Colossus so sad. Illyana glares at the whole room, then sits back down.

  
"Great," Rahne says. "Barely a day in and you've already antagonized one of the teachers."

  
"It's his fault," Illyana replies.

  
She glances over her shoulder, but Colossus is gone. A few moments later, they are joined by Sam and Roberto. They sit beside them and reach for the boxes of cereals, only to find most of them empty. Roberto pouts and goes in search of a full box. Sam doesn't mind and starts mixing the bottom of a few boxes in his bowl before pouring milk.

  
"What's up?" he asks once he notices everyone staring at them.

  
"Illyana made one of the teachers cry," Dani replies.

  
Illyana rolls her eyes.

  
"If he'd left me alone this wouldn't have happened."

  
"Well... I guess we're off to a good start then."

  
Roberto returns with a box of honey-flavored cereals that no one seemed to want. He takes some, pours some milk, takes a bite, and almost chokes.

  
"Nope. That's enough breakfast for me."

  
Soon after, Peter comes up to them. He leans over their corner of the table and says:

  
"K is waiting for you downstairs for a check-up. Whoever wants to go first, just take the elevator downstairs. The others can sit on the stairs."

  
"I'll go," Roberto says as he stands up. "I'm done with breakfast anyway."

* * *

Roberto comes back up from his check-up with a smirk. The others are seating on the stairs as Peter instructed. They've watched students coming and going, classes starting and the quiet fall around the mansion.

  
"I'm fine. I just need to take in the sun. Who's next?"

  
Sam stands up.

  
"I'll go."

  
Roberto takes his place on the stairs.

  
"Are you guys up for some exploration afterward?" he asks.

  
"Depends what you mean with 'exploration'?" Rahne replies. "I don't want to get kick-out on the first day because we went somewhere we shouldn't have."

  
"If they didn't want us there, they should have told us from the beginning," Illyana replies.

  
When Sam comes back some time later, his arm is finally free of its cast. He's still rubbing the pale skin around his wrist.

  
"Hey, looks who's lighter all of a sudden!"

Sam chuckles.

  
"Girls? Who's going next?"

  
Dani glances at Rahne and Illyana, but since neither of them seems all that confident about going, she stands up.

  
"Can't be worst than the last time," she says lightly, though they all remembered what happened the last time.

  
Rahne squeezes her hand once before letting go. Dani walks up to the elevator. The ride is silent and everything feels colder now that she's alone. When she reaches the bottom and the elevator opens, she finds the door to the hangar shut. Instead, another door is opened, one with a hospital bed and all sorts of machines in it.

  
A young woman is seated by one of the corners, looking at a bunch of papers. When she hears Dani's footsteps coming closer she turns around and stands up. She is as tall as Dani, with long brown hair tied back and a white lab-coat. She's wearing a band tee-shirt underneath.

  
"Hey! I'm Kitty," she says, extending a hand.

  
"Dani," Dani replies as she shakes her hand lightly.

  
"Alright, Dani, why don't you sit down? I'll just do the whole basic check-up unless you want to talk to me about something specifically."

  
Dani sits nervously on the hospital bed.

  
"Are you, like... the school nurse?"

  
Kitty chuckles.

  
"Yeah, kinda. I'm the physics teacher, but I know enough that I can fill in as the school nurse too."

  
She takes Dani's blood pressure – a bit high but nothing too worrying – and listens to her heartbeat. Then, she notices the cuts on her forehead and hand.

  
"What happened?"

  
"Glass. We got in a car crash."

  
"Yesterday?"

  
"No, no, it was..."

  
It feels like an eternity away, but Dani realizes it was just four days ago. It hasn't even been a week since they left the center.

  
"A few days ago."

  
Kitty takes a look at it.

  
"Does it still hurt?"

  
"Not much."

  
"It may have required some stitches, but it's too late now. Come see me if they reopen, okay?"

  
Dani nods and Kitty returns to the desk to write down some things.

  
"Would you say that you have a good grip on your powers?"

  
Dani shrugs vaguely.

  
"I'm working on it."

  
Kitty nods.

  
"We could do some more tests if you want. To help you get a hold of them."

  
Before Dani can reply, Kitty adds:

  
"I know it's probably what Essex promised you too, but unlike them I mean it."

  
"I... I'll think about it."

  
Kitty smiles.

  
"Okay. If there isn't anything else, send me the next one."

  
Dani nods and leaves the room feeling a lot lighter and more confident that they are finally in a good place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Kitty Pryde has always been my favorite X-men, ever since I was a kid, so I just had to find a moment to bring her in.  
> Now, I have some exciting news, but since I'm scared of breaking AO3's rule on advertising, I won't talk about it too much. If you want to know more I talked about it in greater detail on my Tumblr page (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whiteravengreywolf) but basically yesterday, while I was supposed to relax and binge-watch Ratched on Netflix, a window of opportunity to do some good was punched through my wall. And now I'm a creator for the Marvel Trumps Hate 2020 charity auction. Just go to my Tumblr page if you want to know more, I won't talk about it beyond today.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	34. Around the Property

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens take the time to explore the mansion and its property.

Once Rahne's scars have been looked out – they will heal, in time, but for now, there isn't much that can be done – and Illyana has made an express trip downstairs, the group decides to take an exploration tour. After much discussion, they decide to separate, so they can cover more ground, and meet for lunch with their findings.

  
"Illy, do you want to..."

  
Roberto's voice comes to a stop when Illyana disappears in the blink of an eye. He sighs.

  
"Sam?"

  
"Let's go outside," Sam says.

  
Roberto and Sam make their way out of the door and into the garden if such a large property can even be called a garden. Dani stands up from the staircase and takes Rahne's hand in hers.

  
"Let's see what we can find around here."

  
Rahne nods, and together they make their way down the first hallway. Most of the doors are closed or left ajar, with strong voices echoing out. Classrooms, both Rahne and Dani assume, so neither of them dares to open the doors to make sure. Instead, they follow the corridor to the kitchen, where a couple of teens are baking something.

  
"It feels strange being here," Dani says.

  
Rahne nods.

  
"It's kind of disorienting, being around so many people."

  
Dani can only agree.

  
"I hope we'll get used to it soon."

  
Rahne falls silent. They walk past the dining room and a living room where a group of younger kids is playing with the Monopoly board, bills, and pieces, but not playing Monopoly.

  
"Do you want to stay here forever?" Rahne finally asks.

  
Dani shrugs.

  
"I don't know... I mean, it's the safest place for us, all of us. It's not like we have anywhere else to go, or families to take us back."

  
"I don't think Illyana likes it here."

  
"And if she wants to leave, I won't stop her. But... you know, what are the odds that as soon as we take a step out of the gate, Essex isn't waiting to catch us."

  
Dani squeezes Rahne's hand.

  
"I don't want to lose you just because Illyana decided to go look for trouble."

  
Rahne nods tentatively.

  
"Me neither."

* * *

The park – it's so big Roberto doesn't hesitate to think of it as a park – surrounds the mansion entirely. A wide field of trimmed grass gives way to old trees. The two boys walk around the basketball course, and toward a pond.

  
"I don't think Illy likes this place," Roberto says.

  
"So what?" Sam replies. "We should leave?"

  
Roberto shrugs vaguely.

  
"I don't know, man. I'm just saying, the odds of her burning down the mansion are pretty high."

  
Sam rolls his eyes.

  
"I'm pretty sure they have things in place to prevent it from burning down."

  
"What I'm scared of is what they'll do to her if she actually tries."

  
Sam huffs.

  
"This isn't the center. They're not going to put her in solitary."

  
"Still... you know she has trouble with authority figures. More trouble than any of us anyway."

  
They walk around the pond, and Roberto stirs them toward the open field, where there are no trees to block the sun. He needs some sunlight desperately.

  
"If she decides to leave, will you go with her?" Sam asks as he readjusted his cap to block the sun over his eyes more fully.

  
Roberto takes a deep breath as he lets the sunlight glide over his skin.

  
"Probably. I mean, we can't just let her run around on her own. She needs us just as much as we need her."

  
"We need her, or you need her?"

  
Roberto frowns.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"I mean I'm not blind. Something's up with you two."

  
Roberto swallows thickly. Memories of that time in the pool come up to the forefront of his mind. But it wasn't her. It doesn't even feel real, it feels like a dream before the nightmare.

  
"Nothing's going on between us. Nothing can happen between us. I mean, she hates feelings and romance. Have you seen her pretending to gag every time Dani and Rahne do anything remotely romantic? And I'm... I'm not trying this again. I could hurt her so bad..."

  
Sam gives Roberto a comforting tap on the shoulder.

  
"Yeah to all of those things, but also you're the only person she doesn't full-on glare at. Sometimes you make her smile, like, real smiles, not that smirk that she does where it looks like she's about to kill everyone in the room."

  
"It doesn't mean anything. And again, even if she wanted to, I'm not letting it happen. I burned..."

  
Roberto's voice gets caught in his throat.

  
"Odds are not in our favor."

  
Sam sighs.

  
"Odds have never been in our favor. We killed people, accidentally or not. We got locked up. That should have been the end of that. But despite the odds, we got out. We escaped Essex three times out of three. That's some pretty good odds."

  
Roberto lets out a chuckle.

  
"Who knew you could be such a philosopher when you're not mopping around?"

  
Sam shrugs.

  
"I've got a bit of time to think while you were making googly eyes at Illy."

  
Roberto gently pushes Sam away.

  
"I don't do that."

  
"Next time you're doing it, I'll place a mirror in front of you so you can see how you look," he promises.

  
"Fine, so what if I have an unrequited crush on Illy. It's one-sided."

  
"It's not, you'll see. You can tell yourself that all you want, but you'll see that I'm not lying, and it's not one-sided."

  
They continue on their tour around the mansion, and while Sam enjoys the fresh air, Roberto is stuck in his head, thinking about what Sam just told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I can already warn you that tomorrow's chapter is going to be a big one!  
> Anyway, I have a class in a few minutes so I better get going! See you tomorrow, guys!


	35. That One Song you Can't Get out of your Head, Times Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After lunch, Illyana is asked to come to Storm's office.

They meet at lunch like planned and share their findings. There's a library on the first floor Rahne is particularly excited about. Roberto is just happy that he'll have the whole afternoon to lay down in the grass under the sun. Illyana is particularly quiet and refuses to share what she found. Roberto begins to suspect that maybe she didn't search for anything, and instead went to Limbo and spent the entire morning there.

  
Lunch is about to come to an end when Kitty comes up to them. She's out of her lab-coat and she's untied her hair, which now falls down her shoulders.

  
"Illyana? Can you come with me?"

  
The others glance at the blonde who doesn't seem like she wants to cooperate.

  
"What did you do?" Roberto asks.

  
Before Illyana can reply, Kitty says quickly:

  
"Oh, she's not in trouble. It's just something Storm wants to see her about."

  
"Doesn't seem like she isn't in trouble to me," Dani replies.

  
Kitty offers them a smile.

  
"Trust me, if she were in trouble, I wouldn't be the one bringing her to Storm. She would have come herself."

  
Illyana finishes her glass, then stands up, pushing her chair loudly.

  
"Alright. Take me to her."

  
Illyana follows Kitty through the hallway as if she didn't know the way to the provisor's office already. Kitty knocks twice on the closed door, sharply.

  
"Come in," Storm replies from the other side.

  
Kitty opens the door. Storm is seating behind her desk, and to Illyana's surprise, Colossus is seating in a chair in front of her. Illyana glares at Kitty.

  
"I thought you said I wasn't in trouble."

  
"You're not," Storm assures. "Just... take a seat."

  
Illyana wants to bolt out of the room. Just teleport away and spend the afternoon in Limbo. But she has a feeling this will continue until she agrees to cooperate, and she wants to get rid of Colossus as soon as she can.

  
"Fine."

  
She seats down and reclines in her chair, crossing her arms. She doesn't look at Colossus and keeps her eyes on Storm instead.

  
"For the record, he's the one who doesn't want to leave me alone."

  
"Piotr told me he's been trying to talk to you but you won't listen to him," Storm says. "But what he has to tell you is pretty important. Just give him a chance, alright?"

  
Illyana gives a disdained glance at Colossus. He's hunched in the chair which seems too small for him.

  
"Whatever."

  
Storm looks at Colossus.

  
"Do you want us to leave?"

  
"No, it's alright."

  
Illyana looks behind her and sees that Kitty has taken a sit on the couch against the wall.

  
"I..."

  
Colossus' voice breaks and he clears his throat. Illyana shifts slightly so she can see him without having to turn her head.

  
"I... I'm from Ust-Ordynsky, one of the farms there..."

  
He struggles to find his words, and Illyana can tell that he'd probably like to do this whole speech in Russian, but he continues in English anyway.

  
"I had an older brother and a younger sister."

  
His eyes dart between looking at the ground and looking at her face. Illyana would like to rip the words out of his mouth and be done with it. She doesn't care about this man's life story. Still, her heart is hammering in her chest, and has a very bad feeling. It's like venom, sipping in her veins.

  
"But we struggled a lot and the farm wasn't doing so well..."

  
He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his voice.

  
"So my father made a deal with the local mafia. When he couldn't pay them back, they took my sister."

  
He stops again as the painful memories resurface. Illyana's mind has gone blank. A part of her has caught on, and the other doesn't want to.

  
"My brother tried to stop them but they killed him."

  
Piotr lets out a shaky breath, and she can tell he's trying not to cry.

  
"She was just three at the time," he continues. "Her name was Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin."

  
It's like a ball of ice sinking into her stomach. Maybe it's just her heart that was torn from her chest and sank deep out of her body. That must explain the ripping feeling in her soul. She stands up hurriedly.

  
"I don't know what game you're playing," she shouts.

  
But Colossus doesn't move to calm her. He just sits there, eyes filled with sadness, and stares at her.

  
"Illyana, please," Storm says in a calming voice.

  
"It's not me," she continues to shout. "I'm not her."

  
"But you could be," Storm says.

  
"I could do a DNA test," Kitty chimes in hesitantly. "But I won't do it if you don't want me to."

  
"I don't," Illyana instantly replies.

  
She turns to Colossus and glares down at him.

  
"I don't care what you think or what you say. I'm not your sister. I don't have a family. They abandoned me."

  
She storms out of the office. The door bangs shut behind her. She runs outside. She wants to go to Limbo and hide there. But when she tries to focus on her powers, a single sob escapes her lips. Then another. Like bubbles trapped in her chest, they try to make their way out. Some she manages to contain, but they inevitably explode out into her chest. It's painful, even more painful than any bruises and cuts she's received in her short life.

  
She runs through the yard until she sees a familiar figure, laying in the grass. Roberto sits up when he hears hurried footsteps coming his way.

  
"Illy? What's up?"

  
She sits down silently beside him. He looks at her curiously. He can see how her eyes shine as if the blue had turned into real water.

  
"Hey, what's wrong?"

  
She doesn't reply. Instead, she buries her face in his shoulders and cries. Roberto doesn't say anything. He just wraps his arms around her, and once he's sure she doesn't mind the contact, simply holds her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I don't know how you had pictured Illyana and Colossus' reunion, I doubt this was it, but this is honestly how I pictured it. This Illyana who seemed to have been separated from her family at a young age and with everything she's been through? She wasn't going to rejoice.  
> If you're wondering about the title of the chapter, it's just that when I asked my brain to give me a good title for this chapter, all it could give me was the song 'Rasputin' by Bobby M. And if you know that's song it's probably stuck in your head now. You're welcome.  
> So I just noticed that AO3 will shut down tomorrow at my usual posting times so you'll have to wait a bit to get the next chapter, but I'll see you tomorrow.


	36. Family's Not Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illyana continues to cry on Roberto's shoulder.

Roberto has never seen Illyana cry before. He's seen her afraid. He's heard her scream of anguish when she thought they were all going to die. But cry like that, it's a very first. He can feel her tears against his shoulder, sipping through his shirt and onto his skin. It almost burns him, to feel the tears. His own eyes prickle and his throat knots. He wants to know who hurt her. Who he needs to hurt to make her feel better. But he doesn't push her. He simply holds her, until the tears subside and she can explain by herself, or not.

  
He expects she won't explain anything. She'll simply cry into his shoulder until she's feeling like she can hold them in, and then be on her way, and never speaks of this again. He wouldn't put it past her. It's how he's come to expect her to work. He never asked about the smile men and he doesn't expect she'll ever explain. He has his own ideas but will keep them to himself because asking her about it feels wrong.

  
Illyana cries and cries. He holds her. There's nothing else to be done. The sun is shining. The air is calm. The grass is soft. And the girl he likes his crying in his arms. He waits.  
When Illyana finally stops crying, she sits up and curls into a ball, her knees against her chest. Her usual liveliness is gone. She reaches for Lockheed and keeps him close to her chest. Roberto still has an arm wrapped around her shoulders. He expects she's going to shrug it off, but she doesn't. She brushes her face with the back of her hand, erases the path of the tears on her cheeks, but otherwise doesn't move.

  
Roberto purses his lips thoughtfully. He tries to ask if she wants to talk about it, but his voice gets stuck in his throat. So he waits. Illyana's sniffs and holds her knees just a bit closer to her chest.

  
"I don't want to talk about it," Illyana says.

  
Roberto nods.

  
"I understand."

  
Illyana tries to glare at him, but she finds she can't.

  
"No, you don't."

  
"I don't. But if you don't want to talk about it..."

  
"It's..."

  
She struggles to find her words, and Roberto offers her a comforting smile.

  
"Take your time. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."

  
Illyana falls silent again. For a moment, Roberto thinks that their conversation is done, and she's going to just walk away and never speak of it again. Instead, she says:

  
"That big Russian guy thinks I'm his sister."

  
Roberto blinks.

  
"Are you?"

  
"It doesn't matter," she replies with exasperation. "I don't have a brother. I don't have any family."

  
"But if he really was?"

  
Roberto can see that his reply is upsetting her, so he adds quickly:

  
"I mean, isn't it a good chance to finally have someone you can count on? Being reunited with him, it's an amazing chance. None of us is going to have that chance."

  
Illyana shrugs his arm away.

  
"I can't count on anyone else. Just me and Lockheed."

  
Roberto frowns.

  
"You can count on me. And Sam, and Dani, and Rahne."

  
"Can I?" she asks angrily. "I heard Dani and Rahne talking this morning, about how it's safe here, and they don't want to leave just because I don't want to stay. They only care about each other."

  
"You can count on me, then," Roberto replies. "I won't abandon you. If you want to leave, then we're leaving."

  
"You say that now but you don't mean it."

  
"I do, Illy. You want to leave? Alright."

  
Roberto stands up and brushes his pants quickly.

  
"Come on. We're leaving."

  
Illyana rolls her eyes and tugs on his pants' leg, prompting him to sit back down.

  
"You're being stupid."

  
Roberto sits beside her again.

  
"I'm always stupid," he replies. "You're smarter than all of us combined."

  
Illyana doesn't reply. She stares at the trees in the distance.

  
"Maybe you're right," Roberto says thoughtfully. "Maybe we should have stayed at Astroport."

  
Illyana hums in agreement. While silence falls between them, the shouts of children playing basketball nearby echo into the air.

  
"What are you going to do then?" Roberto asks.

  
"About what?"

  
"About the big guy. I don't think he's going to let it go so easily."

  
"I'll just teleport away every time he comes to talk to me. He'll get the message."

  
"You're not even going to try?"

  
"I don't need a brother."

  
After a pause, she adds:

  
"I needed a brother when I was a kid, and... I don't need a brother now."

  
Roberto nods.

  
"I see."

  
After a moment, Illyana brushes her face once again, making sure there aren't any signs of tears left on her face. Her nose and eyes are still red, but there isn't much she can do about it. She stands up.

  
"I found a nice spot to hide in the attic. Want to come with?"

  
"You have a serious problem with attics. It's like Rahne and ventilation shafts. Which, by the way, they didn't find any here, and she's probably very sad about it."

  
Illyana rolls her eyes.

  
"She doesn't need ventilation shafts anymore, she has Dani."

  
"But you still need attics even though you have me?"

  
Illyana grimaces.

  
"You coming or not?"

  
"Fine, I'm coming."

  
Roberto stands up, brushing his pants once again. Illyana stars walking but he calls her back:

  
"Hey, Illy?"

  
She turns around.

  
"Just give it a few days, okay? I'm sure you'll get used to living here quickly."

  
"I don't believe you."

  
Roberto shrugs.

  
"You don't have to. You'll just see for yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just two chapters left! I can't believe it's already been over a month that I started posting this story!  
> On another note, it's October! I can finally put on that skeleton sweater I bought back in July! Yesterday I went looking for the DVD of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" but it was impossible to find (or so freaking expensive it wasn't even worth it) so I guess I won't have the chance to watch it again this year...  
> Also, would you guys be interested in a Halloween one-shot for the New Mutants? I tried writing one yesterday but I wasn't really convinced by the story. I might come up with something else, but if you have an idea, just let me know.  
> Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow for the penultimate chapter!


	37. Time and Credit Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens integrate relatively well to the school.

For the next few days, Illyana does her best to integrate. She still teleports away whenever Colossus tries to talk to her, but she doesn't hide in the attic much. She hangs out with her friends, and a few other people sometimes, but she finds other people complicated, so she doesn't talk to them much.

  
Dani has picked up some of the classes. She's the one who's gone the less time without going to school, so it's barely any trouble. The level is simply much higher than what she's used to, and the program is entirely based on facts. Sometimes this sparks debate in class, but the teachers don't mind. In fact, they encourage it. Dani often relays what she's studying to the others at dinner, with enthusiasm that even surprises her. She's so enthusiastic, in fact, that she manages to convince Sam to come with her. He hasn't completely given up on going to college.

  
Rahne doesn't follow Dani around like a puppy, despite what Illyana might believe. Instead, she spends most of her time in the library, reading any and all books that she comes across. When Dani's in class, she can always be found in the large room with walls covered with books, and seating in an armchair. Illyana tried to join her and spend an afternoon in the library with her. She grew disinterested in the book fairly quickly but found new amusement in the way Rahne shifted in her seat every twenty minutes or so, changing position yet never seating as an armchair user should.

  
Illyana spends most of her time with Roberto. He very easily makes friends with other teens their age, boys and girls, and serves as the warm balance to her cold demeanor. People gravitate toward him, and he introduces her to them. She's the strange girl always hanging out with Roberto. They play basketball often. They take trips to the woods, where the teens prepare the party location for Friday evenings. Illyana trails behind and doesn't say much unless the others are annoying her. Then only Roberto can protect them from her temper.

* * *

It happens about a week after they've arrived at the mansion. Roberto is summoned to Storm's office right before dinner. He smiles at Illyana.

  
"Go find the others, I'll be right there."

  
She glances at the open door behind him, then her eyes find Roberto again. Tentatively, she nods.

  
"If anything's wrong..." she starts.

  
"Don't worry, you'll know."

  
This seems to satisfy Illyana, as she joins the flow of students toward the dining room. Roberto steps into Storm's office, where the principal is standing behind her desk, holding a thick white envelope.

  
"Here, this came for you today."

  
Roberto frowns. He takes the envelope and seats on the couch to open it. At first, he doesn't pay much attention to the address written on the front. He pulls out a bunch of pieces of paper folded onto each other. He unfolds them. The first one he finds is a letter from a Brazilian bank. The letter is addressed to him, thanking him for opening an account and trusting them with his money. There's a credit card stuck to the bottom of the paper. He places the letter aside and chokes in a breath when he sees the letter underneath, and recognizes his mother's handwriting.

  
_My little prince,_ it says _. I cannot apologize enough for what we've done to you. We were scared and we had no idea how to help you, your father, and I. But giving you to those people was inexcusable. Neither of us realized how our mindless decision would affect you. I know I can never apologize enough, but I will try my best._

  
_I admit I was surprised when I received the call from the school, but I am glad they found you so you can finally be among people who understand you, and will truly help you. The principal explained everything to me, and I told your father. While he's not exactly thrilled that you haven't been cured, he was even less so to hear what Essex had done to you. He immediately pulled his funding from them and has agreed to use that money to pay the school for you and your friends who can't pay._

  
_I hope one day you'll want to come and see us again. You're always welcome home. I miss you terribly, and although your father doesn't speak much of it, I know he regrets so hastily giving up on you. I know it will take time for you to forgive us, but I will not stop to try and make amend. We have reopened your account and filled it as much money as was allowed. Use this card for whatever you want, we will always make sure to fill it back up so you will be in need again._

  
_I miss you. I'd like to hear from you if you don't mind. Of course, I will understand if you don't want to speak to us ever again. I will never stop being sorry._

  
_Your mother who loves you._

  
That's the content of the letter. Roberto reads it twice, then brushes the tears out of his eyes. Storm has moved to stand beside him and make sure he's alright. Roberto sniffs and looks up at her.

  
"Thank you."

  
"I didn't do anything. It was all your mother. She instantly asks what she could do to help."

  
"Thank you, still."

  
Roberto picks up the letter from the bank and folds everything neatly. He stuffs the envelope in his sweater's pocket and leaves Storm's office with a heart full of feelings.

  
Almost as soon as he sits down beside his friends, Illyana can tell he has come close to crying. It doesn't take long for Rahne to notice as well.

  
"You okay?" she asks.

  
Roberto nods and shows them the envelope.

  
"My mother wrote. She ways they're paying the school for all five of us. Plus she sent me a credit card!"

  
His voice grows more and more excited as he speaks, and the others can't help but grow excited with him.

  
"That's so cool," Rahne says.

  
"It's nice of them," Dani adds.

  
Roberto shrugs.

  
"I mean, it's the least they could do really."

  
Illyana doesn't seem quite as excited as the others. Roberto gently pushes his shoulder against her.

  
"What do you say, Illy? What stupidly expensive thing I should buy first?"

  
Illyana doesn't answer at first. Then, she replies:

  
"A spaceship."

  
Roberto smiles.

  
"I like your idea. A spaceship. Can't wait to see the price tag on this one."

  
Illyana relaxes slightly until Roberto says:

  
"Oh, my mom wants me to visit too. Not right away anyway, but, say, next year, I might just take them up on the offer. You think we'll be in the clear by then?"

  
"No," Illyana says, as she stands up and walks away.

  
The others watch her go with a frown.

  
"What's gotten into her?" Rahne asks.

  
Roberto shrugs, but he has a pretty bad feeling about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just one last chapter to go!  
> I've read your complaints about Illyana and Roberto. I'm not going to try and find any sort of justification, it is my fault. I didn't plan the story well enough and I wanted them to have a really slow beginning. I thought ending the way it will end was a high note, but I probably was wrong. I've seen all of your requests for the Halloween one-shot to focus on these two so I've come up with two stories and I'll probably write them both. One will be definitely focused on these two and the other will have them as an established couple.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the conclusion!


	38. Last Spaceship over the East Coast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It starts with an empty bed.

It starts with an empty bed in the morning. When Rahne and Dani wake up, Illyana's bed is empty. It's not exactly a surprising sight. Most mornings she's already gone. She doesn't sleep in much. They head for breakfast expecting to find her there with the boys. Sam is there, struggling to get his hands on the bottle of orange juice. They sit with him as usual and grab whatever they can for breakfast.

  
"Where's 'Berto?" Rahne asks.

  
"I don't know," Sam replies with a vague shrug and a mouth full. "He told me he had something to do."

  
Rahne and Dani exchange a glance.

  
"Illyana?" Sam asks.

  
"We haven't seen her this morning."

  
Sam brushes his mouth with a napkin and says:

  
"You think they've finally figured it out?"

  
Dani shrugs.

  
"With these two, who knows? But if they are hidden in a corner somewhere and making out, I don't want to be the one who bothers them."

  
Rahne shakes her head quickly.

  
Not much time later, Roberto enters the dining room on his own. He looks as neat as he usually does, without so much as a wrinkle on his clothes and his hair perfectly combed. He comes to sit with them.

  
"Good morning guys."

  
He frowns and looks around.

  
"Where's Illy?"

  
"Wasn't she with you?" Rahne asks with a chuckle.

  
Still, the frown on Roberto's brows doesn't fade away.

  
"No, I haven't seen her this morning."

  
Dani rolls her eyes.

  
"You know you can tell us if you two are together, right? We don't have to pretend..."

  
Roberto cuts her off.

  
"No, we're not... I really haven't seen her this morning. I went to give a letter to Storm this morning, I thought she would be with you."

  
The others glance at each other. They stand up hurriedly and run out of the dining room, pushing a kid out of the way in the process. They make it to the girls' bedroom in record time. Illyana's things are gone. All of her clothes, the Astroport backpack, even her drawing supplies.

  
"She left... why?"

  
Roberto sighs.

  
"I have an idea... and I think I know where she went."

* * *

When the sun sets over Astroport, Illyana is seating with Lockheed at the top of the Ferris wheel, watching the colors leave the sky. A cold wind passes around her every so often, and she bundles further in her sweater.

  
The moment of peace is suddenly disturbed when she hears metal groaning at her side. She looks over the seat to see Roberto scaling the Ferris wheel.

  
"What are you doing here?" she asks angrily.

  
"I had a feeling you would be here."

  
"Why didn't you just fly up to the seat?"

  
"Cause I didn't want to hurt you."

  
He makes it to the top and slips in the seat beside her. He sighs once he reaches the top and looks out over the forest.

  
"It's really the best place to watch the sunset."

  
Illyana continues to stare at him.

  
"How did you get here?" she asks.

  
"Oh, we rented a car. It's so much faster than walking."

  
Illyana tries to look around but she can't see the others, either on the wheel or on the ground.

  
"If I left without telling you where I was going, it's for a reason," she says, looking straight ahead so as not to look at Roberto.

  
"I know. But I wanted to prove to you that you're wrong. We're not going to abandon you."

  
"I bet you had to drag them all here."

  
"Actually, no. I mean, I paid for the rental and all, but Sam drove. And Dani helped me convince Storm to let us go. And Rahne guides us back here. So you know, teamwork and all that."

  
Illyana can't quite believe it.

  
"So where are they now?"

  
"Oh, you know, turning on the power, that sort of thing."

  
Illyana frowns. Roberto sits more comfortably, extending his arms on the headrest.

  
"Oh, I bought the park."

  
"What?"

  
"I called the previous owner. Turns out they were losing too much money. So I bought the park. Can't wait to see my parents' faces when they'll see this one."

  
Illyana is still too surprise to make sense of what Roberto is saying.

  
"Why?"

  
Roberto shrugs.

  
"Why not? Didn't you say I should buy a spaceship? Well, I just bought a whole bunch of them. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's gonna take a lot of work to fix it, and maybe we don't have to fix it. Maybe we can turn it into something else. It's up to us, really."

  
The last rays of the sun disappear over the mountains.

  
"I didn't need you coming after me. I can handle myself."

  
"I know. But you're so stubborn sometimes. I promised I wasn't going to abandon you, remember? So I'm making good on my promise."

  
After a moment of silence, Illyana shifts in her seat to look at Roberto.

  
"We can stay here, right?"

  
"Kinda? Storm gave us a few days to bring you back, but she's expecting us back eventually. And I know you don't particularly like the mansion, but it's definitely safer than here. So, let's make a deal?"

  
Illyana hesitates, then nods.

  
"You come back with us at the mansion, and every once in awhile, we'll all travel to the park together and spend a few days there. How about that?"

  
Illyana bites her lower lip as she thinks. Roberto waits expectantly.

  
"Fine. We can do that."

  
"Cool."

  
Almost as soon as he's spoken, lights spark all around them. The park seems to come to life as hundreds of lights are turned on all at once. The lights on the Ferris wheel begin to dance, bouncing up and down the hundreds of light bulbs on the spokes.

  
"Thank you," Illyana says, to Roberto's surprise. "For caring about me."

  
"Of course I care about you. I mean, we all do."

  
The seats suddenly shake, and Roberto grips the safety bars in front of him.

  
"Now is the moment we find out whether it can still turn..."

  
The Ferris wheel groans and squeaks. There's a moment when Roberto fears that it may have gotten stuck, but it somehow manages to finish the descent, very slowly. When they reach the bottom, Roberto grabs onto Illyana's hands and pulls her out of the seat and off the wheel.

  
Almost as soon as they are out of the way, Illyana gets a hold of Roberto's collar and pulls him closer. She kisses him fiercely. Roberto is so surprised he doesn't even have time to kiss her back or even hold her. She steps away, and she's blushing. Roberto blinks. He's never seen her blush before. She tries to step away but he pulls her back in and kisses her with just as much strength.

  
Their kiss is interrupted by a whistle. Roberto tries to step away, but instead, Illyana keeps him close and flips the bird to whoever whistled. Sam laughs.

  
"Alright, fine! We're going to test all the attraction, see which one still works. You can join us when you're done sucking face."

  
Roberto can finally step away from Illyana when she lets him. Sam has run over to the rocket spinner.

  
"So, what do you say? Want to try the swings when they actually work?"

  
Illyana smirks.

  
"Is that a challenge?"

  
Roberto's eyes grow wide.

  
"What? No! Don't destroy the park!"

  
He shouts louder:

  
"Do not destroy the park! This is the owner speaking, do not destroy the park."

  
Rahne and Dani walk up the slope leading to the Ferris wheel, hand in hand.

  
"Hey, guys! The projector works now! Who's up for a movie night?"

  
"Later," Illyana says as she drags Roberto away.

  
"Be careful," Roberto says one last time.

  
"Yeah, yeah..." Rahne replies.

  
Dani looks over at Rahne.

  
"What do you want to try first?" Dani asks.

Rahne pulls Dani in for a kiss. Dani kisses her back with a smile.

  
"Which attraction do you want to try first, I meant," Dani says once they part.

  
Rahne shakes her head toward the Ferris wheel.

  
"I heard it's romantic."

  
"Did you know? Let's go then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the ending!  
> A big thank you to all of you for following this story along and reading it till the end! Somehow this made over 4500 views. For a story who barely got 10 on its first day, it's mightily impressive! So again, thank you!  
> Anyway, I hope you have a nice weekend! Bye!


End file.
